Safety profile of vunakizumab in elderly patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis: a post-hoc analysis.

Objective: Elderly patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis are vulnerable to adverse events (AEs), which raise safety concerns in their management. This post-hoc analysis aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of vunakizumab in elderly patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, with an emphasis on safety. Methods: Data were extracted from a phase III trial (NCT04839016). A total of 70 elderly patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis were included and assigned to the vunakizumab (n = 49) and placebo (n = 21) groups. Results: During the induction period, the incidence of any AEs (63.3% vs. 76.2%) (p = 0.291) and serious AEs (4.1% vs. 0.0%) (p = 1.000) did not differ between the vunakizumab and placebo groups. During the entire treatment period, the incidence of any AEs (87.8% vs. 90.5%) (p = 1.000) and serious AEs (10.2% vs. 4.8%) (p = 0.661) remained unchanged between the vunakizumab and placebo groups. In the vunakizumab group, the most frequent AEs during the entire treatment period were elevated blood glucose (22.4%), hypertriglyceridemia (12.2%), elevated blood cholesterol (10.2%), eczema (10.2%), hyperuricemia (10.2%), and upper respiratory tract infection (10.2%). The rates of patients achieving psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) 75, 90, 100, and static physician's global assessment (sPGA) 0/1 responses at week (W) 12 were higher in the vunakizumab group than in the placebo group (all p < 0.001). These trends were sustained for 52 weeks. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) at certain time points during 52 weeks were better in the vunakizumab group than in the placebo group. Conclusion: Vunakizumab is safe and effective in elderly patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.