Philip J. Mease, MD

Bimekizumab Demonstrates Long-Term Benefit for Arthritis Post-Approval, with Philip Mease, MD

Bimekizumab has demonstrated sustained improvements in disease control and symptoms for up to 3 years in people with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and active axial spondyloarthritis.

These findings were presented in a several posters at the 

European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) Congress 2025 

in Barcelona, Spain, which was held from June 11-14, 2025.

spoke with Philip Mease, MD, director of rheumatology research at Providence Swedish Medical Center and clinical professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, who served as an investigator on the studies of bimekizumab, to learn more about the new data presented and how it showcases the therapy’s benefits for both people with PsA and AxSpA.

Mease went over some highlights from the BE OPTIMAL and BE COMPLETE studies in people with PsA and the MOBILE-1 and MOBILE-2 studies in people with AxSpA. He emphasized the sustained efficacy seen across the 3 years in both populations, especially in minimal disease activity (MDA), which he considered to be of particular value as an end point. Furthermore, he went over the favorable safety profile seen with bimekizumab, which has some risk of adverse events (AEs), but which yielded low rates of AEs across the follow-up.

“MDA achievement was 53% at 3 years. This is really the highest number that I've seen for this important composite measure that's a target of treatment and so I thought that was a not only meaningful in terms of the height of response, but also the fact that it was still being maintained out at 3 years,” Mease said.

Bimekizumab was approved by the FDA for treating adults with active PsA, active non-radiographic AxSpA, and active ankylosing spondylitis in adults in September 2024.

Mease's disclosures include AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead Sciences, Genentech, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Sun and UCB.

Gossec L, Coates L, McInnes I, et al. Bimekizumab, a dual inhibitor of IL-17A and IL 17F, demonstrated long-term safety and efficacy biologic DMARD naïve patients with active psoriatic arthritis: final 3-year results from the Phase 3 BE OPTIMAL study and its open label extension [abstract Presented at: EULAR Congress 2025; Barcelona, Spain; June 11-14. Poster #POS1294.

McInnes I, Merola J, Coates L, et al. Dual inhibition of IL-17A and IL-17F with bimekizumab demonstrated long-term safety and efficacy in patients with active psoriatic arthritis and prior inadequate response to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors: final 3-year results from the Phase 3 BE COMPLETE study and its open-label extension [abstract]. Presented at: EULAR Congress 2025; Barcelona, Spain; June 11-14. Poster #POS0105.

Baraliakos X, Deodhar A, van der Heijde D, et al. Bimekizumab demonstrated sustained efficacy and safety across the full spectrum of axial spondyloarthritis: 3-year results from two Phase 3 studies and their open-label extension [abstract]. Presented at: EULAR Congress 2025; Barcelona, Spain; June 11-14. Poster #POS0788.

Navarro-Compán V, Kiltz U, Mease P, et al. Sustained improvements with bimekizumab in pain, morning stiffness, fatigue, physical function and health-related quality of life in patients with axial spondyloarthritis: 3-year results from two Phase 3 studies [abstract]. Presented at: EULAR Congress 2025; Barcelona, Spain; June 11-14. Poster #POS0921.

UCB Announces U.S. FDA Approvals for BIMZELX® (bimekizumab-bkzx) for the Treatment of Psoriatic Arthritis, Non-Radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis, and Ankylosing Spondylitis. News release. UCB. September 23, 2024.

Videos

Mease outlined positive efficacy and safety findings from multiple long-term follow-up trials of the biologic in people with PsA and AxSpA.

Mease discussed recent research on what matters in PsA care between patients and clinicians.

Considering Patient Priorities in PsA Care, with Philip Mease, MD

New research, led by Philip Mease, MD, Clinical Professor, University of Washington School of Medicine and Director, Rheumatology Research, Swedish Medical Center, has highlighted 

differences between patient and clinician priorities

 in the management of psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Mease and colleagues put together a list of PsA attributes important to 4 focus groups of patients with PsA and a steering group of physicians and surveyed clinicians and patients to denote importance of attributes on the list. They found that both groups held attributes of arthritis, disease activity, pain, fatigue, physical function, and spine symptoms as highest priorities, but also found that patients ranked attributes such as access to care, daily activities, stiffness, future health uncertainty, and sleep quality as more important while clinicians ranked specific disease skin and joint manifestations, comorbidities, structural damage, and disease management goals as more important.

 spoke with Mease to learn more about the research and what the investigators learned from the study. Mease noted his surprise to see some of the attributes that patients considered more important and shared how some of the study’s findings have impacted the way he cares for patients.

“What this has done for me is to try to carve out a part of our clinic visit that isn't just focused on, have you had any adverse effects? What's your pain level like? How many swollen joints do you have? But sitting back and [asking], are there other concerns that you have or questions that we haven't had a chance to address during our various conversations and just trying to have a few minutes [with them to open up],” Mease said.

Relevant disclosures include AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead Sciences, Genentech, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Sun and UCB.

Mease PJ, Husni ME, Siegel E, et al. What Matters in Psoriatic Arthritis: A Comparison of Patient and Clinician Perspectives. ACR Open Rheumatol. Published online January 12, 2025. doi: 10.1002/acr2.11781

Mease discussed the expanding treatment landscape for PsA and how the field is integrating new biologics.

The Evolving Use of Biologics for PsA Care, with Philip Mease, MD

Biologics have grown to be a valuable option in the toolset for treating psoriatic arthritis (PsA), from first-generation TNF inhibitors to newer IL-17 and IL-23 inhibitors such as bimekizumab and risankizumab, respectively. Recent research has added more data to the literature on long-term efficacy, sequencing of therapies, and comparison studies of biologics.

Philip Mease, MD, Clinical Professor, University of Washington School of Medicine and Director, Rheumatology Research, Swedish Medical Center, has served as an investigator for pivotal trials evaluating a number of biologics including guselkumab and secukinumab.

® spoke with Mease to learn more about the trajectory that biologics have followed in the PsA field and how the field has continued to integrate more biologics into the treatment landscape. He also discussed different targets and recent research on new and upcoming biologics.

“We are now getting more and more choices, so as we strive to get patients into minimal disease activity state and maintain them there, even when we lose effect with one drug or one mechanism, we've now got others to be able to cycle to, and that's very helpful for us,” Mease told 

Walsh J, Merola J, Tillett W, et al. Bimekizumab Maintained Efficacy Responses in Patients with Active Psoriatic Arthritis: Up to 2-Year Results from Two Phase 3 Studies. Presented at the 2024 ACR Convergence. Washington, DC. 14-19 November.

Gordon, K.B., Blauvelt, A., Bachelez, H. et al. Long-Term Safety of Risankizumab in Patients with Psoriatic Disease: A Comprehensive Analysis from Clinical Trials. 

. Published online August 17, 2024. doi: 10.1007/s13555-024-01238-5

McInnes IB, Sewerin P, Sharaf M, Efficace M, Lavie F, Zimmermann M, Coates LC. Sustained response to guselkumab regardless of baseline characteristics in patients with active psoriatic arthritis and inadequate response to TNF inhibitors: results from the phase 3b COSMOS clinical trial. 

 2024 Dec 12;10(4):e004494. doi: 10.1136/rmdopen-2024-004494. PMID: 39672591.

The Evolving Biologic Landscape for PsA Care, with Philip Mease, MD

blood biomarkers to assist with diagnosing fibromyalgia, as well as other imaging modalities.

Future Developments in Fibromyalgia Treatment

This is a video synopsis/summary of a panel discussion involving Philip J. Mease, MD.

Despite progress in approved medications for fibromyalgia, there are significant unmet needs, such as lack of awareness among patients and clinicians. Education dissemination is crucial to bridge this gap. Additionally, the field anticipates advancements in new therapies, driven by ongoing pain research to unravel pain mechanisms and identify treatment targets. Philip J. Mease, MD, expresses hope for a future with additional treatments beyond the current pharmacological options. Advancements in diagnostic biomarkers, including blood biomarkers to distinguish fibromyalgia from autoimmune diseases, and improvements in neuroimaging for better identification of affected individuals, are also anticipated. These developments hold promise for enhancing understanding and addressing the complexities of fibromyalgia. The speaker emphasizes the importance of these future prospects in advancing fibromyalgia care.

Video synopsis is AI-generated and reviewed by HCPLive editorial staff.

Philip J. Mease, MD, highlights the potential of blood biomarkers to assist with diagnosing fibromyalgia, as well as other imaging modalities.

Philip J. Mease, MD

Articles