UCB presents psoriasis treatment data at ADD Annual Meeting

UCB announced new data from the evaluation of BIMZELX (bimekizumab) at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (ADD) Annual Meeting in Denver, US.

The data assesses BIMZELX’s ability to provide on-treatment remission, as defined by the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF), and complete skin clearance up to four years with retreatment after stopping treatment.

Data from a post-hoc analysis of the first year of the BE RADIANT and BE VIVID trials showed 62.6% and 64.9% of psoriasis patients treated with bimekizumab achieved NPF-defined on-treatment remission during any ≥six-month period.

At the earliest time point at which remission could be observed across both trials, week 28, 10.4% and 12.4% of patients receiving the treatment in the BE RADIANT and BE VIVID trials, respectively, achieved NPF-defined remission.

April Armstrong, Professor and Chief of Dermatology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), US, said: “The recent National Psoriasis Foundation definition of on-treatment remission provides clinicians with a benchmark in routine practice, helping them feel confident that those living with psoriasis can reach and maintain minimal or no disease.”

UCB presented a total of eleven abstracts, from across the bimekizumab portfolio in psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa, psoriatic arthritis and axial spondyloarthritis, at the 2026 ADD Annual Meeting.

Affecting around 125 million people worldwide, psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease that can cause red patches of skin covered with silvery-white scales and dry cracked skin that may bleed.

Donatello Crocetta, Chief Medical Officer, UCB, said: “Achieving sustained inflammation control and complete skin clearance is our goal for people living with psoriasis, and generating the evidence to support that progress is fundamental to advancing care.

“At the same time, continuity of treatment may not always be possible in real-world clinical practice. These findings show high response rates following retreatment with bimekizumab and indicate potential to re-establish disease control without meaningfully impacting long-term outcomes.”

Novartis’ Cosentyx (secukinumab) has received US FDA approval to treat paediatric patients aged 12 years and older with moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), making it the only IL-17A inhibitor for this population.

Cosentyx is a fully human biologic that is also approved to treat paediatric patients with PsO, enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) and juvenile psoriatic arthritis (JPsA).

Affecting as many as 1% of the worldwide population, HS is a chronic, systemic inflammatory skin disease. The condition causes recurring boil-like lesions, which can lead to scarring.

Alexa Kimball, lead investigator of the SUNSHINE and SUNRISE clinical trials in adult HS patients, President and CEO of Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, and Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School, said: “Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) often begins in adolescence and can cause irreversible scarring and disabilities.”

By tailoring dosing to patient weight, Cosentyx could help physicians manage HS in younger patients by providing a differentiated therapeutic option.

Brindley Brooks, Founder & CEO, HS Connect, said: “Hidradenitis suppurativa affects far more than skin; it impacts confidence, emotional well-being and relationships during a formative period for many paediatric patients.”

“For families watching their children struggle, this FDA approval brings hope for earlier intervention.”

Data from adult studies and pharmacokinetic modelling taken from adult HS and psoriasis clinical trials, and paediatric clinical trial data from other approved indications, supports the use of Cosentyx in HS patients 12 years and over who weigh 30kg or more.

Victor Bultó, President, Novartis US, said: “With more than a decade of real-world experience across multiple autoimmune diseases, Cosentyx is a well-established treatment option.

“Yet for young people living with moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), treatment options have remained limited for far too long. Expanding Cosentyx to this population addresses a critical gap in care.”