Product Theater – TREMFYA® (guselkumab): A First-line Biologic with Clinical Data vs Adalimumab and Secukinumab

Featuring Guest Faculty, Jeffrey Johnson, PA-C

For Friday afternoon’s product theater, Jeffrey Johnson, PA-C , discussed psoriasis and treatment with Tremfya. Mr. Johnson reminded the audience psoriasis is not just an inflammatory skin disease but a global inflammatory disease which can affect all organ systems. For example, patients with moderate to severe psoriasis are 54% more likely to have a stroke and 53% more likely to die within the next 10 years than patients who do not have psoriasis. These statistics point to why it is important to treat not just the skin disease, but the whole patient.

…patients with moderate to severe psoriasis are 54% more likely to have a stroke and 53% more likely to die within the next 10 years than patients who do not have psoriasis.

Tremfya is the first and only anti-IL-23 biologic medication with a patient-controlled, self-injection device. IL-23 and its receptor drive differentiation, proliferation and production of inflammatory cytokines. Use of Tremfya is indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adult patients who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. Tremfya is supplied as a 100 mg single dose injection where dosing is given at week 0, 4 and every 8 weeks, with 8 injections per year. Mr. Johnson reports 98.7% of patients are successful with their first injection.

Tremfya is the first and only anti-IL-23 biologic medication with a patient-controlled, self-injection device.

In regards to safety, Tremfya may increase the risk of infection, however, it has not been found to increase the rate of serious infections when compared to placebo. The most common adverse events are upper respiratory infections and headache. Of note in patients treated with Tremfya, there is no difference in efficacy or adverse events among different racial, gender, weight groups or in patients who had been treated previously with a systemic or biologic medication. As a dermatology provider for 20 years, Mr. Johnson reports now is a great time to be treating psoriasis as we have so many options for treatment for these patients.