A phase 2 to 3 clinical trial conducted across 38 hospitals in China has found that vunakizumab, a new monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin 17A, significantly improves symptoms in patients with active radiographic axial spondyloarthritis.
Researchers enrolled 548 adults with active disease between June 2021 and March 2023. Participants were randomized to receive either a 120mg dose of vunakizumab or a placebo at intervals through Week 16, after which all patients received the active drug.
At Week 16, ASAS20 response rates-a measure of clinical improvement-were 65.6% in the vunakizumab group versus 42.5% in the placebo group, a statistically significant difference of over 23%. ASAS40 response rates also favored the drug, with 46.3% of treated patients versus 24% on placebo achieving this threshold.
Improvements were sustained through Week 32. The safety profile was comparable to placebo, with 83.7% of vunakizumab patients reporting adverse events versus 81.5% in the placebo group.
Researchers concluded that vunakizumab offers significant and sustained symptom control with acceptable tolerability, supporting further development as a treatment for IL-17 mediated inflammatory diseases.