Bimekizumab Sustains QoL Gains to 3 Years in Psoriasis: JAMA
According to a new study published in JAMA Dermatology by Matthias A. and colleagues bimekizumab led to rapid and sustained improvements in symptoms and health-related quality of life for up to three years in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, proving that clinical efficacy leads to meaningful improvements in patient-reported outcomes. In the phase 3b BE RADIANT randomized clinical trial and its open-label extension (OLE), patients receiving bimekizumab reported greater and more sustained improvements in itching, skin pain, scaling, and quality of life compared with patients initially receiving secukinumab.
Patient-reported outcome (PRO) tools are being increasingly acknowledged as important adjuncts to conventional clinical endpoints in psoriasis. While instruments such as the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) measure skin clearance, other tools such as the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Psoriasis Symptoms and Impacts Measure (P-SIM) assess the real-life experience of the condition, including symptoms such as itching and discomfort.
The BE RADIANT trial was a multicenter, phase 3b randomized clinical trial with a 48-week double-blind treatment period followed by a 96-week open-label extension, for a total of three years of treatment. At baseline, 373 patients were randomized to bimekizumab and 370 to secukinumab. At year 1, corresponding to week 48 and the start of the OLE, patients originally randomized to bimekizumab continued treatment, while those randomized to secukinumab switched to bimekizumab. During the double-blind phase, patients receiving continuous bimekizumab treatment received 320 mg every four weeks until week 16, then every four or eight weeks through year 1 and into the OLE. Patients receiving secukinumab treatment received 300 mg every four weeks through year 1 until switching to bimekizumab 320 mg every four or eight weeks. By week 64, all patients were receiving bimekizumab every eight weeks.
A total of 336 patients in the bimekizumab group and 318 in the secukinumab group entered the OLE, indicating high retention rates during the first year.
Key findings
By week 4, more patients receiving bimekizumab reported no itching (127/373; 34.0% vs 93/370; 25.1%), no skin pain (278; 74.5% vs 222; 60.0%), and no scaling (172; 46.1% vs 80; 21.6%) compared with secukinumab-treated patients.
At year 1, the relief of symptoms was also greater with bimekizumab, with no itching reported in 227 patients (60.9%) vs 178 (48.1%) in the secukinumab group (P < .001), no skin pain in 293 (78.6%) vs 262 (70.8%) (P = .01), and no scaling in 263 (70.5%) vs 184 (49.7%) (P < 0.001).
The proportion of patients achieving both PASI = 0 and DLQI 0/1 at week 4 was 43 bimekizumab-treated patients (11.5%) vs 17 secukinumab-treated patients (4.6%) (P < 0.001).
At year 1, 230 bimekizumab-randomized patients (61.7%) achieved PASI = 0 and DLQI 0/1 vs 158 secukinumab-randomized patients (42.7%) (P < 0.001).
In the open-label extension, 69.2% of continuous bimekizumab-treated patients vs 48.5% of secukinumab/bimekizumab-treated patients achieved concurrent PASI = 0 and DLQI
In this randomized clinical trial and open-label extension study, bimekizumab showed rapid and sustained improvements in patient-reported symptoms and quality of life over three years in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Patients initially treated with secukinumab showed meaningful improvements when switched to bimekizumab, which further supports the sustained effect of the therapy. These results confirm that high levels of clinical skin clearance with bimekizumab result in substantial quality-of-life improvements.
Reference:
Augustin M, Feldman SR, Warren RB, et al. Three-Year Patient-Reported Outcomes From Bimekizumab for Plaque Psoriasis: The BE RADIANT Randomized Clinical Trial With Open-Label Extension. JAMA Dermatol. Published online February 18, 2026. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2025.6055
