Despite the emergence of multiple biologic drug options for
psoriasis, unmet treatment needs remain.
Biologic therapies can vary in their effectiveness and adverse events, and many patients experience a loss of treatment effect over time. After lack of response, treatment may be switched to a biologic with a different mechanism of action.
Brodalumab, a human
interleukin-17 (IL-17) receptor A antagonist, is approved for the treatment of adult patients with moderate-to-severe
psoriasis with inadequate response or loss of response to prior systemic
therapies. Because
brodalumab targets the
IL-17 receptor instead of the
ligand itself, it not only targets a broader set of
IL-17 isoforms but also may be effective in patients who received prior
IL-17 inhibitors or failed to respond to anti–IL-17 treatment. This is supported by long-term evidence from clinical trials and real-world studies of patients receiving
brodalumab who were previously treated with
IL-17 inhibitors. Additionally,
brodalumab produces reliable treatment effects after use of biologics with other mechanisms of action, such as
tumor necrosis factor α and
IL-12/IL-23 inhibitors, as well as after the use of multiple
biologic therapies. For patients with
psoriasis with inadequate response to one or more
biologic therapies,
brodalumab is an option that has the ability to lead to long-term skin clearance. J Drugs Dermatol. 2022;21(3):364-370. doi:10.36849/JDD.6743.