Dermatology

Distribution problems and adherence reduce biologic drug survival in Brazilian psoriasis cohort

In 166 Brazilian psoriasis patients on biologics, 82 (49.4%) discontinued therapy during follow-up. Documented distribution problems increased risk of treatment interruption (RR 1.45) before multivariable adjustment. Adalimumab use was associated with shorter drug survival (HR 1.51), possibly related to its more frequent dosing. The authors report unsafe postinjection disposal practices in over 22% of patients, highlighting administration-chain gaps. 1

Network meta-analysis: ivermectin and encapsulated benzoyl peroxide superior to metronidazole for rosacea

This network meta-analysis of 32 RCTs (n=11,399) compared topical therapies for moderate-to-severe rosacea over 8–16 weeks. Compared with metronidazole, ivermectin and encapsulated benzoyl peroxide yielded greater lesion reductions (MD ~4 lesions) and higher IGA success. Discontinuation for adverse events was higher with encapsulated benzoyl peroxide than metronidazole. Data were limited for patient-reported outcomes and erythema, so symptom-specific effects remain imprecise. 2

Real-world 2-year outcomes: bimekizumab delivers high PASI100 and durable drug survival

In 126 Italian patients with chronic plaque psoriasis, bimekizumab achieved PASI100 in 61.5% at week 16 and 80.0% at week 52. PASI100 remained high at week 104 (76.5%) with an overall 2-year drug survival of 72.2%. Biologic-naïve patients had markedly higher 2-year retention than bio-experienced patients (91.5% vs 64.0%). Clinically significant adverse events occurred at 16.8 per 100 patient-years, mainly candidiasis and eczema. 3