Medication Proves Effective for Treating Patients With Nonradiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis 

Secukinumab was effective, safe, and well-tolerated in real-world patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), according to study findings published in Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease.

“This study demonstrated that secukinumab can be a viable option to treat the entire spectrum of axSpA, that is, from early to late stage or from nonradiographic axSpA to radiographic axSpA,” wrote researchers.

The study included 249 consecutive patients with axSpA who received secukinumab at 12 rheumatology practices in Italy and were followed for 24 months. Among them, 46.2% had nonradiographic axSpA and 53.8% had radiographic axSpA. Nearly 29% had never received biologic treatment before secukinumab.

By month 24 of secukinumab treatment, the average Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score decreased from 3.5 at baseline to 1.9, and the average Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) score dropped from 6.5 at baseline to 2.8, according to study authors.

Patients who were biologic naïve showed better physical functioning and lower disease activity at month 24 than non-naïve patients. As reflected in a BASDAI scores under 4, 90.7% of naïve and 75.3% of non-naïve patients achieved low disease activity on secukinumab.

Nearly a quarter of patients discontinued treatment, mostly because of loss of effectiveness, although 6.8% stopped treatment due to adverse events.

“As suggested by the significant drug retention rate, secukinumab was able to maintain its effectiveness over a considerably long treatment period,” wrote researchers. “Male gender appears to correlate with low disease activity and inactive disease achievement and drug persistence, whereas the subtype of axSpA (radiographic axSpA or nonradiographic axSpA) does not appear to impact the drug-discontinuation rate.”

Reference:
Ramonda R, Lorenzin M, Sole Chimenti M, et al. Effectiveness and safety of secukinumab in axial spondyloarthritis: a 24-month prospective, multicenter real-life study. Ther Adv Musculoskelet Dis. 2022;14:1759720X221090310. doi:10.1177/1759720X221090310