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How long does it take Ilumya to work?

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Aug 5, 2024.

Official answer

by Drugs.com

It takes approximately 12 weeks for Ilumya (tildrakizumab) to start working with nearly 60% of people experiencing a 75% reduction in the severity of their psoriasis within that time; however, it may take over a year for the full benefits to be seen.

Research has shown that after 12 weeks:

  • 55% to 58% of people administered Ilumya had cleared or minimal disease according to their PGA (physicians global assessment) score compared to 4% to 7% of those administered placebo
  • 61% to 64% had experienced a 75% reduction in their disease as defined by their PASI score
  • 35% to 39% had experienced a 90% reduction in their disease as defined by their PASI score
  • 12% to 14% had experienced a 100% reduction in their disease as defined by their PASI score.

Longer-term studies have indicated the percentage of people experiencing benefit increases with continued treatment.

  • After 28 weeks of treatment, 74% of people administered Ilumya had experienced a 75% reduction in their disease as defined by their PASI score
  • After 64 weeks of treatment, 84% of people administered Ilumya had experienced a 75% reduction in their disease as defined by their PASI score.

Some people who previously been assigned Ilumya in the trial were then given a placebo. It took an average of 20 weeks for the benefits of Ilumya to be lost once it had been discontinued.

References

Read next

Skyrizi vs Ilumya. What’s the difference?

There are a number of differences between Skyrizi and Ilumya:

  • Ilumya was FDA approved in 2018 and Skyrizi was FDA approved in 2019.
  • Ilyumya is a brand name for tildrakizumab and Skyrizi is a brand name for risankizumab
  • The dose of Skyrizi is 150mg, but because each injection only contains 75mg, two injections must be given per dose. The dose of Ilumya is 100mg, and each injection contains 100mg therefore only one injection needs to be given each time
  • Ilumya needs to be administered by a healthcare professional; however, patients prescribed Skyrizi can be taught how to self-administer it at home
  • Skyrizi is also approved to treat adults with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA), Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.
Continue reading

Does Ilumya treat psoriatic arthritis?

Ilumya is not approved by the FDA to treat psoriatic arthritis, but studies for this use are ongoing. Illumya is only approved to treat plaque psoriasis at this time. Your doctor may decide, based on their medical judgement, to prescribe Ilumya off-label for other conditions. Continue reading

How does Ilumya compare to other treatments?

There have been few comparative trials comparing Ilumya to other biologics used for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque-type psoriasis. The joint AAD and NPF guidelines conclude that all 11 biologics have grade A evidence for efficacy as monotherapy in plaque psoriasis and a person’s medical and social should be taken into account when choosing a biologic. Certain biologics may be preferred in people who are overweight because they use weight-based dosing (such as infliximab or Stelara), whereas others may be preferred in those with poor compliance because they are dosed every 12 weeks (such as Stelara, Skyrizi or Ilumya). Continue reading

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