Previous Studies have observed variation in the incidence of psoriasis across different ethnic populations, i.e., lower in Asian countries than European countries. But there was no evidence on the difference in the efficacy of Il-17 across ethnicities. The findings of a systematic review and meta-analysis have reported that there is no significant difference in the short-term efficacy of IL-17 inhibitors in the treatment of psoriasis between Caucasians and Asians.
The study by Zhang et al. included 16 randomized controlled trials. The corresponding Psoriasis Area and Severity Index 75 (PASI 75) responses noted at week 12, for the Asian and the Caucasian groups were 2.81 (95% CI: 2.27–3.35, p < 0.001) and 2.93 (95% CI: 2.71–3.16, p < 0.001), indicating the comparable treatment efficacy of the drug. Moreover, the results for secukinumab were also found to be consistent with the primary analysis.
The IL-17 pathway antagonists currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the management of moderate-to-severe psoriasis are secukinumab, ixekizumab, and brodalumab. Secukinumab and ixekizumab are human monoclonal antibodies acting against IL-17A; whereas, brodalumab acts by antagonizing the IL-17A receptor, thereby disrupting the signal transduction.
The present study has also highlighted the need for long-term observations in real-world settings and pharmacogenetic investigations to validate that there is no ethnicity-related
differences in the efficacy of IL-17.
References: Zhang D, Qiu J, Liao X, Xiao Y, Shen M, Deng Y and Jing D (2022). Comparison of Efficacy of Anti-interleukin-17 in the Treatment of Psoriasis Between Caucasians and Asians: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front. Med. 8:814938.