BE BOLD: Bimekizumab Tops Risankizumab for ACR50 Outcomes

Key Takeaways

• UCB reported that bimekizumab demonstrated superior Week 16 ACR50 outcomes versus risankizumab in the phase 3 BE BOLD psoriatic arthritis trial.
• Bimekizumab became the first approved biologic to show statistically significant superiority in ACR50 joint outcomes in a head-to-head psoriatic arthritis study.
• No new safety signals were observed, although Candida infections were more frequent with bimekizumab and were reported as mild or moderate.

New phase 3 data from the BE BOLD trial indicated that bimekizumab (BIMZELX) achieved superior joint efficacy compared with  risankizumab (SKYRIZI) in adults with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA), according to a press release from the manufacturer.

The new data showed 49.1% of patients treated with bimekizumab achieved the primary endpoint of ACR50 at week 16 compared with 38.4% of patients treated with risankizumab (P = 0.0078). Additional secondary analyses showed numerically greater responses for bimekizumab across several endpoints, including ACR50 at Week 4 and simultaneous ACR50 plus PASI100 responses at week 16, although some outcomes did not reach statistical significance within the study’s testing hierarchy. PASI100 was achieved in 53.4% of patients receiving bimekizumab versus 46.6% receiving risankizumab.

“Delivering high-level clinical responses is crucial for people with psoriatic arthritis," said Professor Iain McInnes, University of Glasgow, College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences, Glasgow, UK, in the press release. "Achieving ACR50 level responses in clinical trials indicates joint improvements that correlate closely with clinically meaningful reductions in disease activity, inflammation control and consequent improvements in quality of life. The new BE BOLD data, showing bimekizumab achieved superiority vs risankizumab in ACR50 at Week 16 in a direct head-to-head trial design, can support clinicians in making early informed decisions for treating this chronic inflammatory disease.”

Source

UCB press release. May 19, 2026.