Tildrakizumab

Tildrakizumab
Monoclonal antibody
TypeWhole antibody
SourceHumanized (from mouse)
TargetInterleukin 23 (IL23)
Clinical data
Trade namesIlumya
Other namesTildrakizumab-asmn
AHFS/Drugs.comMonograph
MedlinePlusa618026
License data
Pregnancy
category
  • AU: B1
Routes of
administration		Subcutaneous
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
Identifiers
CAS Number
DrugBank
ChemSpider
  • none
UNII
KEGG
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC6426H9918N1698O2000S46
Molar mass144436.68 g·mol−1

Tildrakizumab, sold under the brand name Ilumya among others, is a monoclonal antibody designed for the treatment of immunologically mediated inflammatory disorders.[4] It is approved for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in the United States and in the European Union.[2][3][5]

Tildrakizumab was designed to block interleukin-23 (IL-23), a cytokine that plays a key role in managing the immune system and autoimmune disease.[6][7]

Medical use

Tildrakizumab was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in March 2018,[2] and the European Medicines Agency in September 2018, for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy.[2][3]

Tildrakizumab is administered via subcutaneous injection. It is available as a single-dose prefilled syringe containing 100 mg of tildrakizumab in 1 mL of solution.[2][3]

History

The importance of IL-23 selective inhibition for the treatment of plaque psoriasis started to increase early after its identification in the year 2000, when it was found to be a crucial player in the pathogenesis of chronic immune diseases in general, and of psoriasis in particular. Based on that discovery, three monoclonal antibodies that selectively bind to IL-23p19 have been approved for the treatment of plaque psoriasis.[8]

Originally developed by Schering-Plough, this drug became part of Merck's clinical program, following that company's acquisition of Schering-Plough in 2009.[9]

In September 2014 Sun Pharmaceutical acquired worldwide rights to tildrakizumab for use in all human indications from Merck in exchange for an upfront payment of US$80 million. Upon product approval, Sun Pharmaceutical became responsible for regulatory activities, including subsequent submissions, pharmacovigilance, post approval studies, manufacturing and commercialization of the approved product.[10][11] In 2016, Sun Pharmaceutical signed a licensing agreement with the pharmaceutical company Almirall for marketing tildrakizumab in Europe.[11]

As of March 2014, the drug was in phase III clinical trials for plaque psoriasis. The two trials enrolled nearly 2000 participants.[12][13]

In 2016, tildrakizumab became the first IL-23p19 inhibitor to demonstrate positive results in Phase-3 clinical trials for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, further validating the importance of the role of IL-23 dependent pathways in psoriasis.[14] Later on, in 2019 the 3-year study results of continuous treatment with tildrakizumab were published. Given that psoriasis is a chronic disease that requires lifelong treatment, data on long-term maintenance of clinical responses and long-term safety are of special interest.[15]

Mechanism of action

Tildrakizumab is a humanized IgG1/k monoclonal antibody that selectively binds to the p19 subunit of the interleukin-23 (IL-23) cytokine and inhibits its interaction with the IL-23 receptor. IL-23 plays a critical role in modulating inflammatory and immune responses.[3]

Recent research has found the IL-23/Th17 pathway to be crucial for the pathogenic mechanisms of psoriasis,[7] with IL-23 considered the “master cytokine” since it acts at the top of the inflammatory pathway, activating the proliferation of pathogenic Th17 cells and subsequent production of proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-17.[6]

Structurally, IL-23 is a heterodimer with two subunits, p19 and p40. The p40 subunit is also shared with IL-12, a cytokine that is involved in the immune response. Treatments targeting the p40 subunit block both IL-23 and IL-12 and have been associated with an increased risk of infections.[16][6][7][17]

Tildrakizumab binds only to the p19 subunit of IL-23. Through this specific blockage, tildrakizumab inhibits the release of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines that mediate epidermal hyperplasia, keratinocyte immune activation, and tissue inflammation inherent in psoriasis.[3][17]

Administration

Tildrakizumab is available as a single-use, pre-filled syringe and is administered via subcutaneous injection.[2][3]

Clinical trials

Tildrakizumab has been studied in around 1,800 participants in two double-blind, randomized and controlled phase-III trials, titled reSURFACE 1 and reSURFACE 2,[14] followed by a four-year extension period.[14]

In the reSURFACE trials, a significantly higher proportion of participants receiving tildrakizumab achieved PASI 75 response at week 12 and a PGA score of “clear” or “minimal”, with at least a 2-grade reduction from baseline at week 12, than those in the placebo group (p<0.0001). Response continued to increase up to week 28 and was maintained through week 52.[14][15] Tildrakizumab was also proven to have superior efficacy to etanercept, an effective anti-TNFα treatment for psoriasis, with a significantly higher proportion of participants achieving PASI 75 and PASI 90 at weeks 12 and 28.[14] After 3 years of continued treatment with tildrakizumab, response levels were well maintained in week 28 responders: approximately 68% of participants maintained PASI 90 response and 91.6%, 79.8% and 51.9% maintained an absolute PASI of <5, <3, and <1, respectively (observed-cases data).[15]

Side effects

Safety differentiates anti-IL-23p19 treatments from other biologic treatments. There is a theoretical risk of infection and malignancy with the use of any immunosuppressant, including biologics. However, compared with the inhibition of other inflammatory cytokines, IL-23 targeting may only minimally impair the ability to generate a proper immune response.[6][16]

Tildrakizumab has proven to be a well-tolerated treatment in the long term.[15][16] The most common (≥ 1%) side effects associated with tildrakizumab treatment are upper respiratory infections, headache, gastroenteritis, nausea, diarrhoea, injection site pain, and back pain.[2][3]

In the reSURFACE 1 and 2 clinical trials, the overall incidence of side effects was low and comparable to placebo.[14][16] Specifically, the incidence of severe infections, malignancies, and major adverse cardiovascular events was low and similar to that of placebo and etanercept treatment groups.[14]

Approvals and indications

In March 2018, it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis as an injection for subcutaneous use in the United States.[5]

In September 2018, it was approved by the European Commission for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy.[18]

References

  1. ^ "Summary Basis of Decision (SBD) for Ilumya". Health Canada. 23 October 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Ilumya- tildrakizumab-asmn injection, solution". DailyMed. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Ilumetri EPAR". European Medicines Agency. 17 September 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Statement on a Nonproprietary Name Adopted by the USAN Council—Tildrakizumab", American Medical Association.
  5. ^ a b "FDA approves Ilumya for plaque psoriasis". National Psoriasis Foundation. 22 March 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d Dolgin E (December 2016). "New anti-IL-23 drugs raise hopes for psoriasis plaque clearance". Nature Biotechnology. 34 (12): 1218–1219. doi:10.1038/nbt1216-1218. PMID 27926724. S2CID 205273437.
  7. ^ a b c Galluzzo M, D'adamio S, Bianchi L, Talamonti M (May 2017). "Tildrakizumab for treating psoriasis". Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy. 17 (5): 645–657. doi:10.1080/14712598.2017.1304537. PMID 28271735. S2CID 4041245.
  8. ^ Fotiadou C, Lazaridou E, Sotiriou E, Ioannides D (2018). "Targeting IL-23 in psoriasis: current perspectives". Psoriasis: Targets and Therapy. 8: 1–5. doi:10.2147/PTT.S98893. PMC 5804022. PMID 29441315.
  9. ^ "Merck, Schering-Plough set to complete merger [Press release]". Reuters. November 2009.
  10. ^ "Sun Pharma and Merck & Co. Inc. Enter into Licensing Agreement for Tildrakizumab" (Press release). Merck. 17 September 2014. Archived from the original on 12 March 2015.
  11. ^ a b Bureau BB (28 July 2016). "Sun Pharma signs licensing pact with Spain's Almirall for tildrakizumab in Europe". Business Standard. BS B2B Bureau. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Clinical trial number NCT01729754 for "A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety/Tolerability of Subcutaneous Tildrakizumab (SCH 900222/MK-3222) in Participants With Moderate-to-Severe Chronic Plaque Psoriasis Followed by a Long-term Extension Study (MK-3222-011)" at ClinicalTrials.gov
  13. ^ Clinical trial number NCT01722331 for "A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Subcutaneous MK-3222, Followed by an Optional Long-Term Safety Extension Study, in Participants with Moderate-to-Severe Chronic Plaque Psoriasis (MK-3222-010)" at ClinicalTrials.gov
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Reich K, Papp KA, Blauvelt A, Tyring SK, Sinclair R, Thaçi D, et al. (July 2017). "Tildrakizumab versus placebo or etanercept for chronic plaque psoriasis (reSURFACE 1 and reSURFACE 2): results from two randomised controlled, phase 3 trials". Lancet. 390 (10091): 276–288. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31279-5. PMID 28596043. S2CID 3428803.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: overridden setting (link)
  15. ^ a b c d Reich K, Warren RB, Iversen L, Puig L, Pau-Charles I, Igarashi A, et al. (March 2020). "Long-term efficacy and safety of tildrakizumab for moderate-to-severe psoriasis: pooled analyses of two randomized phase III clinical trials (reSURFACE 1 and reSURFACE 2) through 148 weeks". The British Journal of Dermatology. 182 (3): 605–617. doi:10.1111/bjd.18232. PMC 7064936. PMID 31218661.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: overridden setting (link)
  16. ^ a b c d Pithadia DJ, Reynolds KA, Lee EB, Liao W, Wu JJ (2019). "Tildrakizumab in the treatment of psoriasis: latest evidence and place in therapy". Therapeutic Advances in Chronic Disease. 10: 2040622319865658. doi:10.1177/2040622319865658. PMC 6691657. PMID 31448070.
  17. ^ a b Puig L (June 2017). "The role of IL 23 in the treatment of psoriasis". Expert Review of Clinical Immunology. 13 (6): 525–534. doi:10.1080/1744666X.2017.1292137. PMID 28165883. S2CID 3267755.
  18. ^ "Almirall: The European Commission approves Almirall's Ilumetri (tildrakizumab) for moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis" (Press release). 18 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.