Abstract
ABSTRACT: Interleukin-17 mediates immunity against pathogens such as Candida. Ixekizumab, an anti-interleukin-17A antibody, showed efficacy treating psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Detailed here are Candida infections from 11 PsO and three PsA ixekizumab studies.
Overall, patients received 80-mg ixekizumab every 2 or 4 weeks for 12 weeks (PsO) or 24 weeks (PsA) and then every 4 weeks. Candida (high-level term), six Candida subcategories (oral, vulvovaginal, skin, esophageal, nail, and unspecific), and four fungal infections (esophagitis, oral, oropharyngitis, and vulvovaginal mycotic) were included. Patients were counted once per category for multiple events.
Analysis included 5,689 patients with PsO (12,061.5 patient-years of exposure, median exposure = 883 days) and 1,118 patients with PsA (1,373.4 patient-years of exposure, median exposure = 309 days). Overall, Candida infections were low and occurred in 4.4% (PsO incidence rate = 2.1) and 3.1% (PsA incidence rate = 2.5); most were mild or moderate in severity. The average duration of moderate and mild Candida ranged from 33 to 105 days. Most Candida infections were single events, 74% and 91%, with median onset of 328 and 146 days for PsO and PsA, respectively. Five patients (four with PsO and one with PsA) were reported to have a severe infection. Oral, skin, and vulvovaginal Candida were the most frequently reported Candida infections.