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New STOP-HS trial data show durable povorcitinib response through week 54, with a favorable safety profile in hidradenitis suppurativa.
New phase 3 data from the STOP-HS1 and STOP-HS2 trials show povorcitinib produced meaningful improvement in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), with efficacy and safety findings that compare favorably to existing biologic therapies.1
These data were described by Martina Porter, MD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, who spoke in an interview with the HCPLive editorial team. Porter described the significance of the trials in a recent interview and went in depth regarding the data during this new segment of her interview.1,2
Porter explained that both trials used HiSCR50 at week 12 as the primary endpoint, a binary measure requiring at least 50% improvement in disease activity. Approximately 40% of patients receiving povorcitinib, at either the 45 mg or 75 mg dose, achieved this outcome compared with 30% on placebo.
Porter noted this margin is consistent with results seen in other HS trials, though cross-trial comparisons are complicated by differences in placebo response rates, patients' prior biologic exposure, and endpoint timing. She emphasized that no current HS therapy achieves complete clearance in all patients.
According to Porter, adverse events were similar across both dose groups, with acne as the most common finding, affecting 17% - 20% of patients, followed by nasopharyngitis and upper respiratory tract infection. She noted that acne cases were mild and that standard acne therapies were prohibited during the trial due to overlap with HS treatments.
Regarding class-related safety concerns, Porter said rates of major adverse cardiac events, thromboembolic events, and malignancy remained low despite a patient population with elevated baseline cardiovascular risk factors, including high rates of smoking and obesity. One death of undetermined cause was reported and deemed unrelated to treatment.
Porter highlighted Week 54 data showing that roughly three-quarters of patients who achieved HiSCR50 at Week 12 maintained that response through Week 24 and Week 54, with efficacy rates continuing to improve over the course of a year. She noted that some patients showed measurable improvement as early as Week 3, though peak treatment effects in HS typically emerge later than in conditions like psoriasis or atopic dermatitis.
Disclosures: Porter has served as a consultant for AbbVie, Almirall, Arcutis, Aristea Therapeutics, Avalo Therapeutics, Eli Lilly, Framework for Interoperable Data Exchange (FIDE), Incyte, Janssen, Merck, MoonLake Immunotherapeutics, Navigator Biosciences, Novartis, Pfizer, Prometheus, Sanofi, Sonoma Biotherapeutics, Trifecta Clinical/WCG, UCB and Zura Bio and as an investigator for AbbVie, AnaptysBio, Arcutis, Aristea Therapeutics, Avalo Therapeutics, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Incyte, Janssen, Merck, MoonLake Immunotherapeutics, Navigator Biosciences, Novartis, OASIS Pharmaceuticals, Otsuka, Pfizer, Prometheus, Propeller Biosciences, Regeneron, Sanofi, Sonoma Biotherapeutics, UCB and Zura Bio. She has received royalties from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and fellowship funding to the institution from AbbVie.
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