What are the benefits and risks of systemic treatments for psoriasis?

Cochrane Skin is pleased to announce the publication of the updated version of the living review Systemic pharmacological treatments for chronic plaque psoriasis: a network meta‐analysis. This new version included 179 randomized clinical trials with 62,339 participants with moderate to severe psoriasis.

Key messages

  • The biologics infliximab, bimekizumab, ixekizumab and risankizumab are the most effective treatments compared with placebo for achieving PASI 90 in people with moderate-to-severe psoriasis, based on high-confidence evidence. Bimekizumab and ixekizumab had a better chance of achieving complete or near-complete remission than secukinumab.  
  • There was no significant difference between the treatments and placebo for the risk of serious adverse events, and the safety evidence for most interventions was of very low to moderate quality.

To find out more, consult the full review in the Cochrane Library.