Results from the CADMUS Jr study: ustekinumab for treating plaque psoriasis in children

Psoriasis is a common disease, affecting 2‐3% of people worldwide. It causes scaly red plaques on the skin and is associated with other diseases like obesity and diabetes. Psoriasis is triggered by overactivity of molecules in the immune system. Ustekinumab is a type of medicine called a biologic drug that improves psoriasis by blocking two immune system molecules (interleukin‐12 and interleukin‐23; IL‐12/23). It is approved for use in patients who are aged 12 years or over. In the CADMUS Jr study, we tested if ustekinumab was effective in 44 children aged 6‐12 years with psoriasis in Europe, Canada and the U.S.A. Patients received doses of ustekinumab, based on their weight, at weeks 0 and 4 and then every 12 weeks for a year. We evaluated efficacy, assessed improvement in quality of life (QoL), and observed safety outcomes. Over three‐quarters of patients (77.3%) had clear skin or just minimal psoriasis remaining by week 12 and maintained that improvement through week 52. In over one third of patients at week 12 and more than half at week 52, psoriasis had completely cleared. Among patients reporting that psoriasis affected their QoL before starting treatment, most said the disease no longer had an effect at weeks 12 and 52. No unexpected adverse effects (unwanted side effects) were reported, showing that ustekinumab was well tolerated in these young patients. In summary, we found that ustekinumab improved psoriasis and QoL and was safe to use in children (6‐12 years old) through one year of treatment in our CADMUS Jr study. These results were similar to those reported for over 100 adolescents (12‐18 years old) treated with ustekinumab (CADMUS study). Linked Article: Philipp et al. Br J Dermatol 2020; 183 :664–672.