Economic Impact and Adverse Events Associated with Bimekizumab

EP: 1.Background on PROs in Psoriatic Arthritis

EP: 2.Common Symptoms and Treatments in Psoriatic Arthritis

EP: 3.Treatment Selection for Psoriatic Arthritis

EP: 4.Key Differences in Inclusion Criteria Between BE OPTIMAL and BE COMPLETE

EP: 5.Baseline Characteristics and Alignment to Clinical Practice

EP: 6.Analyzing Pain and Fatigue Outcomes

EP: 7.Examining Additional PROs from BE COMPLETE and BE OPTIMAL

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EP: 8.Economic Impact and Adverse Events Associated with Bimekizumab

The economic implications of effective psoriatic arthritis treatment extend beyond individual patient benefits to encompass broader societal impact through improved productivity and reduced healthcare burden. Chronic rheumatic and dermatologic diseases represent substantial economic drags on society, making demonstrated improvements in work productivity and economic output important justifications for therapy costs. Cost-benefit analyses must consider direct treatment expenses and safety concerns and the substantial improvements in home life, work capacity and overall societal contribution that effective treatment provides.

Safety profile analysis reveals oral candidiasis as the most notable side effect, occurring in 2% to 3% of patients with psoriatic arthritis in clinical trials, with slightly higher rates in psoriasis studies due to increased dosing. However, real-world clinical experience suggests this complication occurs less frequently than trial data indicate, with Dr. Mease reporting minimal occurrence in practice. When oral candidiasis does develop, it typically presents as mild to moderate severity, responds well to oral or topical antifungal treatments and rarely necessitates treatment discontinuation, representing a manageable side effect profile.

The overall side effect profile demonstrates reassuring safety characteristics with upper respiratory infection rates similar between bimekizumab- and placebo-treated patients, and no meaningful difference in serious infection rates. One rare but important consideration involves inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), either as recurrence in patients with previous IBD history or new-onset disease, particularly noted in axial spondyloarthritis trials. Despite this uncommon risk, the overall safety profile remains favorable, with Dr. Mease expressing satisfaction with the medication’s side effect characteristics and emphasizing the importance of screening for IBD history before treatment initiation.