Patients with psoriasis have an increased risk of suicidal ideation and behavior (SIB) and depression. Bimekizumab, an interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-17F inhibitor, was approved for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis by the FDA in 2023 and by the European Medicines Agency in 2021. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of SIB and depression in patients treated with bimekizumab across nine clinical trials for moderate to severe psoriasis, using the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale and Patient Health Questionnaire-9, with assessments overseen by an independent Neuropsychiatric Adjudication Committee.

Results showed that, more than 7166 patient-years (PY) of exposure to bimekizumab, the adjudicated SIB rate was 0.13 per 100 PY, within the range observed for the general psoriasis population (0.09-0.54 per 100 PY) and comparable to other anti-IL-17A/anti-IL-23 therapies (0.09-0.19 per 100 PY). By week 16, 92.9% of bimekizumab-treated patients reported no or minimal depression, compared to 81.1% of placebo-treated patients. Overall, bimekizumab-treated patients had low levels of new-onset SIB and depression, indicating that the therapy does not significantly increase mental health risks in this population.

Reference: Blauvelt A, Armstrong A, Merola JF. Mental health outcomes in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis treated with bimekizumab: Analysis of phase 2/3 randomized trials. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2024 Jul;91(1):72-81. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2024.02.039.