Study of the Efficacy of Early Intervention With Secukinumab 300 mg s.c. Compared to Narrow-band UVB in Patients With New-onset Moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis (STEPin)

Study of the Efficacy of Early Intervention With Secukinumab 300 mg s.c. Compared to Narrow-band UVB in Patients With New-onset Moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis

A Randomized, Multicenter STudy to Evaluate the Effect of Secukinumab 300 mg s.c. Administered During 52 Weeks to Patients Suffering From New-onset Moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis as Early Intervention Compared to Standard Treatment With Narrow-band UVB (STEPIn Study)

The purpose of this study is to determine whether early intervention with subcutaneous (s.c.) secukinumab 300 mg in patients with new-onset moderate to severe plaque psoriasis may lead to prolonged symptom free periods by preventing reactivation of old lesions or ultimately totally hindering the occurrence of new lesions, i.e., changing the natural course of the disease (Main Study).

The overall study population (Main Study and Mechanistic Sub-study) will consist of a total of 205 male and female patients aged between 18 and 40 years inclusive. Main Study The Main Study will be conducted in patients with new-onset moderate to severe plaque psoriasis not previously treated with any systemic treatment or phototherapy. A total of 160 patients will be randomized to Arm A1 or Arm B1 in approximately 50 sites worldwide. Since a maximum screening failure rate of 20% is expected, approximately 200 patients will be screened. Mechanistic Sub-study Any patient who consents can participate in the Mechanistic Sub-study. Patients with new-onset plaque psoriasis will be randomized to Arm A1b, Arm A2, or Arm B1b, those with chronic plaque psoriasis will be randomized to Arm C1 and Arm C2 (15 patients each). For Arm A1b or Arm B1b, the first 15 patients will be included on a first come first serve basis. Safety assessments :Physical examination, Vital signs, Height and body weight, Laboratory evaluations (hematology, clinical chemistry, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein), Electrocardiogram, Pregnancy, Adverse events Data Analysis The primary efficacy variable is the proportion of patients who achieve PASI 90 at Week 52. The analysis for the primary objective will be based on the full analysis set. For the primary analysis, the following hypothesis testing will be performed: H01: psec = pnbUVB versus HA1: psec ≠ pnbUVB The primary analysis method for PASI 90 response at Week 52 will use an exact logistic regression model with treatment as an explanatory variable and baseline PASI score as covariate. The key secondary variable is the proportion of all randomized patients who achieve PASI 90 at Week 104. In order to reduce selection bias, all patients who do not achieve PASI 90 at Week 52 will also be included in the analysis at Week 104 using the PASI improvement obtained at Week 104 only. For the key secondary analysis, the following hypothesis testing will be performed: H02: p*sec = p*nbUVB versus HA2: p*sec ≠ p*nbUVB

80 patients (65 in Arm A1a and 15 in Arm A1b) with new-onset psoriasis will receive 300 mg secukinumab by s.c. injection at baseline, Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4 and then every 4 weeks until Week 48 inclusive.

80 patients (65 in Arm B1a and 15 in Arm B1b) with new-onset psoriasis will receive 1 or 2 cycles of nb-UVB of 12 weeks each with a maximum break of 28 weeks between cycles (patients with PASI 90 at Week 40 will not receive a second treatment cycle).Only during the first 4 weeks of each cycle, nb-UVB treatment should be applied in combination with topical calcipotriol 50 μg/g and betamethasone 0.5 mg/g.

secukinumab 300 mg s.c. administered at baseline, once weekly at Weeks 1, 2, 3 and 4; and thereafter every 4 weeks until Week 100 inclusive (last dose administered at Week 100)

secukinumab 300 mg s.c. administered at baseline, once weekly at Weeks 1, 2, 3 and 4; and thereafter every 4 weeks until Week 48 inclusive (last dose administered at Week 48)

secukinumab 300 mg s.c. administered at baseline, once weekly at Weeks 1, 2, 3 and 4; and thereafter every 4 weeks until Week 100 inclusive (last dose administered at Week 100)

Secukinumab (AIN457) 300 mg will be administered in an open-label fashion according to label as 2 s.c. injections of secukinumab 150 mg (1-mL liquid formulation in a pre-filled syringe). Each 300-mg dose will be provided as 2 pre-filled syringes of 150-mg secukinumab in a single box. Each syringe is labeled as AIN457 150 mg/1 mL.

Narrow-band UVB applied in 1 or 2 cycles, each comprising a period of 12 weeks with 2 to 3 treatment sessions per week totaling 24 to 36 sessions per cycle. The application will be performed according to the investigational site's protocol, taking into account the patient's skin type. A maximum dose of 3 J/cm2 on the body and 1 J/cm2 on the face is recommended

Secukinumab (AIN457) 300 mg will be administered in an open-label fashion according to label as 2 s.c. injections of secukinumab 150 mg (1-mL liquid formulation in a pre-filled syringe). Each 300-mg dose will be provided as 2 pre-filled syringes of 150-mg secukinumab in a single box. Each syringe is labeled as AIN457 150 mg/1 mL

Secukinumab (AIN457) 300 mg will be administered in an open-label fashion according to label as 2 s.c. injections of secukinumab 150 mg (1-mL liquid formulation in a pre-filled syringe). Each 300-mg dose will be provided as 2 pre-filled syringes of 150-mg secukinumab in a single box. Each syringe is labeled as AIN457 150 mg/1 mL

Secukinumab (AIN457) 300 mg will be administered in an open-label fashion according to label as 2 s.c. injections of secukinumab 150 mg (1-mL liquid formulation in a pre-filled syringe). Each 300-mg dose will be provided as 2 pre-filled syringes of 150-mg secukinumab in a single box. Each syringe is labeled as AIN457 150 mg/1 mL

The primary efficacy variable is the proportion of patients who achieve Pain Assessment Severity Index (PASI) 90 at Week 52. PASI is measured by dermatologist usung a PASI measurement scale.

To demonstrate that early treatment with secukinumab 300 mg s.c. (Arm A1) is superior to standard of care treatment with nb-UVB (Arm B1) in patients with new-onset moderate to severe plaque psoriasis with respect to patients achieving ≥ 90% improvement (reduction) in psoriasis area and severity index (PASI 90) response at Week 52.

The key secondary variable is the proportion of all randomized patients who achieve PASI 90 at Week 104

To evaluate the superiority of early treatment with secukinumab (Arm A1) versus nb-UVB (Arm B1) based on the proportion of all randomized patients who achieve at least PASI 90 at Week 104.

Inclusion Criteria: Able to understand and communicate with the investigator, willing and capable to comply with all study procedures, and provide written signed and dated informed consent (personally or by a witness) before any assessment is performed Aged 18 to 40 years inclusive New-onset plaque psoriasis with appearance of the first psoriasis plaques within the last 12 months before randomization and naïve to any systemic treatment and phototherapy (Arms A1, A2 and Arm B1) Chronic plaque psoriasis with appearance of the first psoriasis symptoms 5 years or longer and intolerance or inadequate response to phototherapy or any systemic treatment including biologicals, except for IL-17A inhibitors (Arm C1 and Arm C2) Moderate to severe plaque psoriasis defined at screening and baseline by PASI ≥ 10, and body surface area (BSA) ≥ 10%, and investigator's global assessment (IGA mod 2011) ≥ 3 Exclusion Criteria: Forms of psoriasis other than plaque-type (e.g., pustular, erythrodermic, guttate, light sensitive, and drug induced) Ongoing use of prohibited treatments Previous treatment with phototherapy or any systemic treatment Pregnant or nursing (lactating) women Women of childbearing potential, defined as all women physiologically capable of becoming pregnant, unless they are using effective methods of contraception during the Treatment Epoch or longer if required by locally-approved prescribing information (e.g., 20 weeks in the EU)