Efficacy and safety of adalimumab when added to inadequate therapy for the treatment of psoriasis: results of PRIDE, an open‐label, multicentre, phase IIIb study

Background  Adalimumab is an effective treatment for chronic plaque psoriasis. Objective  To evaluate the safety and efficacy of adalimumab for psoriasis patients who did not adequately respond to prior psoriasis therapy. Methods  PRIDE (an Open‐Label Access PR ogram to Evaluate the Safety and Effectiveness of Adalimumab When Added to I na DE quate Therapy for the Treatment of Psoriasis) was a multicentre, Phase IIIb study in Canada. Patients with active moderate‐to‐severe plaque psoriasis who failed to respond to, or were intolerant of, prior therapies received adalimumab 80 mg at Week 0 followed by adalimumab 40 mg every other week Weeks 1 through 23. The primary efficacy measure was PASI (Psoriasis Area Severity Index) 75 response at Week 16. Secondary efficacy measures included PASI 90/100 and percentage change from baseline PASI score. Adverse events (AEs) and serious AEs were recorded. Results  A total of 203 patients were enrolled at 26 sites. Baseline characteristics were: male, 61.1%; mean age, 45.5 years; mean PASI score, 20.0; previous exposure to biologics, 38.4%. At Week 16, PASI 75/90/100 responses were achieved by 70.9%/49.3%/24.1% of patients, respectively. Mean percentage PASI score decrease from baseline to Week 16 was 79.5%. Mean percentage PASI improvement and response rates were maintained through Week 24. Nasopharyngitis and upper respiratory tract infection were the only AEs to occur in ≥5% of patients. Nine patients experienced serious AEs; four were considered possibly or probably related to adalimumab. Conclusion  Adalimumab was safe, well‐tolerated and effective for treatment of active plaque psoriasis in patients who had not adequately responded to prior therapy.