This multicentre, open-label phase 3 study looked at children aged 2 to 18 years with enthesitis-related arthritis or juvenile psoriatic arthritis. The researchers compared ixekizumab to adalimumab in 101 patients across multiple centers. They followed the group for 16 weeks to see how well the treatments worked.
The main finding was that 90% of children who had never taken a biological DMARD before met the response criteria when given ixekizumab. Among those who had used biological DMARDs previously, 86% met the criteria. The study used Bayesian analysis to assess these response rates.
Safety data showed that treatment-emergent adverse events were mostly mild or moderate for the ixekizumab group. No severe treatment-emergent adverse events were reported. The drug was considered well tolerated. However, people with lived experience of juvenile idiopathic arthritis were not involved in the design or conduct of this study. Funding came from Eli Lilly and Company.