Real-world effectiveness and drug retention rate of risankizumab in patients with psoriatic arthritis: data from the multicentre GIRRCS cohort

Abstract

Introduction Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic heterogenous inflammatory disease characterized by a multidomain burden. Risankizumab, a selective inhibitor of the IL-23 p19 subunit, has shown efficacy in randomized trials; however, real-world data in PsA remain limited. We evaluated the real-world effectiveness and treatment persistence of risankizumab in the GIRRCS cohort.Methods This observational study included 55 consecutive patients with moderate-to-active PsA treated with risankizumab between January 2022 and June 2025. The primary evaluation was 6-month change in Disease Activity Index for Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA), assessed using an age- and sex-adjusted linear mixed-effects model. Secondary assessment included longitudinal changes in joint counts, Leeds Enthesitis Index, VAS pain, patient global assessment, and CRP. Drug retention rate (DRR) was estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis.Results Patients had long-standing disease (11.4 ± 9.6 years), mainly peripheral involvement, frequent enthesitis/axial disease, and prior biologic exposure (72.7%). DAPSA significantly improved at 6 months (β −9.1, 95%CI − 12.62 to −5.61; p < 0.001). Six-month response was similar between bDMARD-naïve and experienced patients, although earlier improvement at 3 months was observed in naïve individuals (p = 0.021). All secondary assessments improved (p < 0.001). Estimated 18-month DRR was 59.8%.Conclusions Risankizumab was associated with clinical benefit and acceptable treatment persistence, even if larger studies are needed.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy, 2026 · DOI ↗