Introduction: Bimekizumab has a favourable safety profile and has demonstrated rapid and superior efficacy, compared with placebo, adalimumab, ustekinumab, and secukinumab, in treating psoriasis. A previous study demonstrated the safe and effective subcutaneous self-injection of 320 mg bimekizumab via two 1 mL (2 × 160 mg) doses using safety syringe (SSy) or auto-injector (AI) devices. Delivery of 320 mg bimekizumab via a single 2 mL self-injection could lead to an improved treatment experience for patients.
Methods: We describe the results from four studies. Two self-injection experience studies (DV0002 [n = 38] and DV0006 [n = 89], sub-studies of the phase 3 study BE BRIGHT [NCT03598790]) assessed the safe and effective self-administration of bimekizumab at week 8 and baseline, as well as patient self-injection experience and pain, in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis using the 2 mL SSy or AI. Additionally, we report on two bioequivalence studies (UP0068 [n = 71] and UP0119 [n = 121]) that describe pharmacokinetic profiles for two 1 mL injections and a single 2 mL injection, delivered by SSy or AI devices in healthy participants.
Results: All patients were able to administer safe and effective self-injections at baseline and week 8 using the different 2 mL devices, except one patient that administered an incomplete dose as a result of injection site pain that was mild. Overall, bimekizumab was generally well tolerated and all adverse device effects reported were mild and did not lead to discontinuation. Patients reported a positive self-injection experience with low pain scores (all ≤ 12.0/100). Bioequivalence was demonstrated for bimekizumab between a single 2 mL injection and two 1 mL injections, using both the SSy and AI.
Conclusion: The 2 mL SSy and AI devices offer patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis two different safe and effective options for the delivery of bimekizumab, empowering individuals to select a device on the basis of personal preference. Graphical abstract available for this article.
Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT03766685.
Keywords: Auto-injector; Bimekizumab; Bioequivalence; Plaque psoriasis; Safety syringe; Self-injection.
Plaque psoriasis is a skin disease that causes red, scaly skin patches that can flake, itch and hurt. It affects around 90% of people with psoriasis, and symptoms can negatively impact quality of life. Therefore, individuals want effective and easy to deliver treatment options. Bimekizumab is a medication used to treat psoriasis. Currently, each dose (320 mg) of bimekizumab is delivered via two 1 mL self-injections. These studies investigated whether a single 2 mL self-injection with one of two devices (safety syringe or auto-injector) could deliver the medication safely and effectively and whether a single 2 mL injection works in the same way as delivering bimekizumab with two injections. These studies were conducted because it is important to give patients options for their treatment delivery to suit their personal preferences and to reduce the number of injections required, minimising the burden of treatment. Everyone except one person was able to safely and effectively self-inject using both 2 mL devices. On average, people involved in the study reported a positive experience and low levels of pain (all ≤ 12.0/100) with both devices. Bimekizumab was well tolerated, and any reactions assessed to be related to the injection devices were mild and did not stop anyone receiving the treatment. A 320 mg dose of bimekizumab behaved similarly in the body when delivered by two 1 mL injections or a single 2 mL injection using either the safety syringe or auto-injector.
© 2025. The Author(s).