Bimekizumab Maintains Flare Control in HS Through 2 Years

Bimekizumab provides sustained control of disease flares in patients with moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), with more than 83% of patients remaining flare-free over 96 weeks, according to interim results from the BE HEARD EXT study presented by Dr. Haley B. Naik et al at the 2025 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference.

Bimekizumab, a dual IL-17A and IL-17F inhibitor, was evaluated in 556 patients who completed 48 weeks of treatment in the BE HEARD I and II trials and enrolled in the open-label extension study (BE HEARD EXT). Participants received bimekizumab 320 mg every 2 weeks (Q2W) or every 4 weeks (Q4W), with adjustments based on HiSCR 90 status.

At Week 48, 83.8% of patients had experienced no flares—a status that was maintained at Week 96, when 83.4% remained flare-free. Flares were defined as a ≥25% increase in abscess and inflammatory nodule (AN) count, with an absolute increase of ≥2 relative to baseline.

Incidence of flare at any single visit remained low, with just 2.2% of patients experiencing a flare at Week 48, and only 1.1% at Week 96. These findings support bimekizumab’s durable efficacy in preventing disease worsening across 2 years of continuous treatment.

“The majority of patients with moderate to severe HS treated with bimekizumab who remained in the study at Week 96 did not experience a flare at any given study visit and remained flare-free through 2 years,” the authors concluded.