Early response is a strong predictor of the long-term response in psoriasis patients receiving risankizumab or guselkumab in the real-world: a retrospective analysis.

Background: Recognizing early treatment indicators that forecast the long-term effectiveness of maintenance therapy in psoriasis (PsO) could support the optimization of personalized treatments. We aimed to evaluate whether an early response can predict long-term outcomes in patients receiving risankizumab or guselkumab, and to explore the factors associated with responses.

Research design and methods: This retrospective study included PsO patients who received risankizumab or guselkumab continuously at least 1 year. The study measured disease severity using the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) and determined the percentage of patients treated with risankizumab or guselkumab who showed PASI50 at the 3^rd month (early response), and assessed whether early response was associated with maintaining long-term response (PASI75 response at the 1^st year).

Results: A total of 102 patients, including 60 who received risankizumab and 42 who received guselkumab, were enrolled. Early response at the 3^rd month strongly predicted treatment outcomes at 12 months. Among early responders, the likelihood of achieving a long-term response was found to be 94.9%.

Conclusions: In patients with PsO treated with risankizumab or guselkumab, early response was a significant factor in maintaining stable long-term response. Therefore, early response is a clinically relevant factor to consider when optimizing individual therapeutic strategies.