Association of Secukinumab Treatment With Tuberculosis Reactivation in Patients With Psoriasis, Psoriatic Arthritis, or Ankylosing Spondylitis

In this pooled cohort study (28 trials; n=12,319), latent TB infection (LTBI) was reported in 13 patients (0.1%), 6 of whom had prior positive LTBI test. Of those newly diagnosed, 4 had psoriasis, 1 psoriatic arthritis and 2 ankylosing spondylitis. No active TB was reported.

SPS commentary:

The trials included in this analysis had a mean follow-up of 1.7 years for patients with psoriasis, 2.0 years for psoriatic arthritis and 2.6 years for ankylosing spondylitis, with secukinumab treatment for up to 5 years. The authors say their findings demonstrate the occurrence of LTBI was uncommon in the studied indications, although several limitations are noted; e.g. identification of LTBI relied on adverse event reporting; dropout rates for each trial were not considered, and given the post-hoc nature of the study, there is the potential for reporting bias, with differences in study methodologies.

JAMA Dermatology