12 Aug TNFi Medications for Psoriasis Associated with Weight Gain

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Prof Ching-Chi Chi,

Prof Ching-Chi Chi, MD, MMS, DPhil (Oxford)
Department of Dermatology
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou
Taiwan

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?  

Response: Psoriasis has been associated various inflammatory comorbidities including diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, etc. Moreover, obesity is prevalent among psoriasis patients and has been considered as an independent risk factor for occurrence and worsening of psoriasis by promoting systemic inflammation.

Notably, body weight (BW) gain of psoriasis patients after biologics use has been observed. However, there are inconsistent reports on whether biological therapy relates to BW gain. 

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Response: Compared with conventional systemic treatments for psoriasis, tumor necrosis factor-inhibitors (TNFi) were associated with weight gain, and limited data suggest anti-interleukin (IL)-12/23 and -17 biologics are not. 

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: We provide the missing data of changes in BW and BMI after using anti-IL-12/23 and -17 compared with conventional therapy via network meta-analysis. In our study, we found an increase in BW and body mass index (BMI) among psoriasis patients treated with TNFi. However, based on current-limited evidence, there were no similar trends in the use of biologics targeting IL-12/23 and IL-17, i.e. ustekinumab and secukinumab. The potential effect of TNFi treatments on BW could be one of the considerations in the care of overweight and obese psoriasis patients.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this work?

Response: First, only one study reported the changes in BW and BMI in patients receiving anti-IL-17 biologic that is hard to draw definite conclusion.

Second, we lacked the data of long-term follow-up and treatment response and are unsure whether these observed weight changes were clinically significant. Further prospective studies are warranted to examine if the BW gain associated with TNFi use will lead to decreased treatment response.

Any disclosures? Prof Chi received speaking fees from AbbVie Taiwan, Janssen Taiwan, Novartis Taiwan, and Pfizer Taiwan. Others declare none. 

Citation:

Change in body weight and body mass index in psoriasis patients receiving biologics: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Wu, Ming-Ying et al.
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, Volume 0, Issue 0

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Last Updated on August 12, 2019 by Marie Benz MD FAAD