Study: Ustekinumab Shows Durability in Real-World Psoriasis Biologic Sequencing Study
Key Takeaways
Ustekinumab had the longest median treatment duration among biologics for moderate-to-severe psoriasis, a new analysis finds.
Almost half of patients switched treatments; lower treatment sequence variability was linked with older age.
Ustekinumab maintained a significant positive association with treatment duration after adjustment for confounding variables.
Ustekinumab (Stelara) was associated with the longest treatment duration among biologics used for moderate-to-severe psoriasis, according to results from a recent retrospective real-world analysis.
Researchers evaluated health records from 364 adult patients receiving biologics for psoriasis The study team analyzed treatment sequences through state sequence analysis and calculated sequence heterogeneity via Shannon entropy. They also identified factors influencing treatment duration using Linear regression models guided by a directed acyclic graph.
Adalimumab was the most commonly prescribed first-line biologic (27%), followed by secukinumab (18%) and etanercept (16%), according to the results. Almost half of the patients (48%) switched biologics. Ustekinumab showed the longest median duration of use of all of the agents at 1,841 days; etanercept had the shortest (639 days). Older age correlated with lower sequence heterogeneity (β = -0.001, P = 0.002). Durability continued after adjusting for confounders (β = 0.285, P = 0.009), suggesting a potential long-term treatment option.
“Overall, these findings suggest that ustekinumab may be a good long-term option for some people with psoriasis," they wrote in a synopsis of the study results published with the abstract. "Understanding how patients move from one treatment to another can help doctors make better choices and improve long-term care. More studies like this one can help ensure that people with psoriasis receive the best possible treatment for their needs."
Source: Boccia, A, et al. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy. 2025. doi:10.1080/14712598.2025.2542508