INTRODUCTION@#
Ustekinumab is a
human monoclonal antibody that binds to the p40 subunit of both
interleukin (IL)-12 and
IL-23, and it is approved for the
treatment of moderate to severe plaque
psoriasis. In this study, we assessed the
efficacy and
safety of
patients receiving
ustekinumab for
psoriasis.@*
METHODS@#This
retrospective study included all
adults with chronic plaque
psoriasis who were prescribed
ustekinumab in a tertiary dermatologic centre between December 2009 and December 2015.
Efficacy end points included a proportion of
patients achieving at least 50% and 75% improvement from baseline
psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) and
body surface area (BSA) at Weeks 4 and 16.@*RESULTS@#A total of 99
patients were prescribed
ustekinumab; 69% of these were
Chinese, followed by 15% Indians and 9% Malays. 31
patients had documented PASI scores and 55
patients had documented BSA improvements. In
patients with recorded PASI scores, 29 (93.5%) of 31
patients achieved PASI 50, and 21 (67.7%) of 31 achieved PASI 75 at week 16. In
patients with recorded BSA, 43 (78.2%) of 55 had at least 50% BSA improvement, and 31 (56.4%) of 55 achieved 75% BSA improvement at 16 weeks. Regarding
safety, no
patient experienced
tuberculosis reactivation. A total of 11 (11%) of 99
patients had
latent tuberculosis infection and were treated with prophylactic
isoniazid. No
patient experienced serious adverse events. No cardiovascular events, cutaneous
malignancies or deaths were reported over six years.@*CONCLUSION@#
Ustekinumab is safe and efficacious in the
treatment of
patients with moderate to severe plaque
psoriasis in a multiethnic
Asian population.