Monotherapy with Biologics for Generalized Pustular Psoriasis: A Systematic Review of Comparative Interventional Studies with an Exploratory Network Meta-Analysis
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1. Search and Eligibility
2.2. Exploratory Network Meta-Analyses
3. Results
3.1. Heterogeneity of Study Design, Study Populations and Treatment Regimens
3.2. Broadly Convergent Trends: A Case for Future Quantitative Syntheses
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| Author | Objective | Interventions | Biologic Naïve | Other Therapy | N | Age | Sex | Findings (Summary) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xu et al. 2026 [33] | To evaluate the effectiveness of various biologic therapies for GPP in real-world settings and to characterize the diversity of patient responses based on differing clinical characteristics. | TNF-alpha (etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab) | Yes | No | 29 | mean = 25.1 SD = 14.5 | M = 18, F = 11 | Patients receiving IL-36 inhibitors experienced the shortest hospital stays and demonstrated the most significant reductions in both GPPGA and GPPASI scores. Those with the highest baseline disease severity responded most favorably to IL-36 inhibitor therapy. |
| IL-17A inhibitor (secukinumab or ixekizumab) | Yes | No | 22 | mean = 26.8, SD = 16.7 | M = 12, F = 10 | |||
| IL-36 receptor antagonist (spesolimab) | No | No | 11 | mean = 35.3, SD = 19.4 | M = 6, F = 5 | |||
| Lu et al. 2024 [27] | A comparative analysis of the efficacy of adalimumab, secukinumab, and guselkumab in the treatment of generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) | Adalimumab (subcutaneous) | Yes | Yes | 15 | mean = 51.7, SD = 15.6 | M = 11, F = 4 | According to the primary endpoint (GPPASI-75 at 12 weeks), Guselkumab demonstrated the highest efficacy, followed by Secukinumab and Adalimumab. |
| Guselkumab (subcutaneous) | Yes | Yes | 16 | mean = 52, SD = 18.2 | M = 12, F = 4 | |||
| Secukinumab (subcutaneous) | Yes | Yes | 19 | mean = 46.4, SD = 13.4 | M = 14, F = 5 | |||
| Navarini et al. 2023 [29] | Describe and quantify the impact of spesolimumab (IL-36R inhibitor) on GPP patients from the Effisayil-1 study insofar as patient-reported outcomes (PROs) | Spesolimab (intravenous) | Yes | No | 35 | mean = 43.2, SD = 12.1 | M = 14, F = 21 | Improvements in PROs were observed in the spesolimab arm, and patients who crossed over from the placebo arm to receive the active treatment also showed improvement. Overall, spesolimab demonstrated greater efficacy than placebo. |
| Placebo | 18 | mean = 42.6, SD = 8.4 | M = 3, F = 15 | |||||
| Bachelez et al. 2021 Effisayil-1 NCT03782792 [23] | To investigate the efficacy of spesolimab as compared with placebo in patients with GPP flares | Spesolimab (intravenous) | Yes | No | 35 | mean = 43.2, SD = 12.1 | M = 14, F = 21 | At week 1, spesolimab was markedly more efficacious than placebo. |
| Placebo | 18 | mean = 42.6, SD = 8.4 | M = 3, F = 15 | |||||
| Okubo et al. 2022 NCT03051217 [30] | Explore the efficacy of certolizumab pegol in patients with GPP and Erythrodermic Psoriasis (EP) | Certolizumab pegol | No | Yes | 3 | mean= 44.7, SD = 8.3 | M = 1, F = 1 | Improvements were observed in patients with GPP at both dosage levels, with no significant difference between them. |
| Certolizumab pegol | No | Yes | 4 | mean = 51, SD = 14.6 | M = 2, F = 2 | |||
| Burden et al. 2023 [24] | Subgroup analysis (of Effisayil 1 (NCT03782792) data) to determine the efficacy of spesolimab according to patient demographic clinical characteristics. | Spesolimab (intravenous) | Yes | No | 35 | mean = 43.2, SD = 12.1 | M = 14, F = 21 | Spesolimab was more effective than placebo across all demographic subgroups (e.g., sex, BMI, race). |
| Placebo | 18 | mean = 42.6, SD = 8.4 | M = 3 F = 15 | |||||
| Morita et al. 2023 Effisayil-2 NCT03886246 [28] | To assess the efficacy of spesolimab in the prevention of GPP flares. | Spesolimab (subcutaneous) | No | Yes | 31 | mean = 38.9, SD = 16.5 | M = 11, F = 20 | Spesolimab was superior to placebo, with a dose–response relationship observed. |
| Spesolimab (subcutaneous) | No | Yes | 31 | mean = 42.9, SD = 16.7 | M = 11, F = 20 | |||
| Spesolimab (subcutaneous) | No | Yes | 30 | mean = 40.2, SD = 16.4 | M = 12, F = 18 | |||
| Placebo (subcutaneous) | 31 | mean = 39.5, SD = 14.0 | M = 13, F = 18 | |||||
| Tsai et al. 2023 [32] | Explore the efficacy of spesolimab in subgroup of Chinese patients from the Effisayil-1 trial | Spesolimab (intravenous) | 5 | mean = 47.2 SD = 10 | M = 2, F = 3 | Findings in the Chinese subpopulation were consistent with those of the global population, as reported in Effisayil-1. | ||
| Placebo | 6 | mean =42, SD = 11.1 | M = 1, F = 5 | |||||
| Hu et al. 2024 [26] | To explore the long-term effectiveness IL-17 inhibitors | Ixekizumanb (subcutaneous) | 5 | mean = 32.6, SD = 23.2 | M = 3, F = 2 | |||
| Secukinumab (subcutaneous) | 13 | mean = 22, SD = 12.8 | M = 11, F = 2 | |||||
| Ruan et al. 2024 [31] | To investigate how GPP patients with different genetic profiles’ response to ustekinumab and secukinumab | Ustekinumab (subcutaneous) | No | No | 32 | mean = 36, SD = 18.97 | M = 15, F = 17 | Efficacy was not dependent on mutation Bothe agents were effective, however secukinumab showed more promptness in effectiveness |
| Secukinumab (subcutaneous) | No | No | 33 | mean = 22.92, SD = 21.07 | M = 15, F = 18 | |||
| Gordon et al. 2025 [25] | To determine effect of spesolimab vs. placebo on sustaining improvement of GPP | Spesolimab (subcutaneous) | No | No | 30 | mean = 40.2, SD = 16.4 | M = 12, F = 18 | The effects of spesolimab were sustained much more than those who received placebo up till 48 weeks |
| Placebo | No | No | 31 | mean = 39.5, SD = 14.0 | M = 13, F = 18 |
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Gupta, A.K.; Bamimore, M.A.; Wang, T.; Talukder, M.; Piguet, V. Monotherapy with Biologics for Generalized Pustular Psoriasis: A Systematic Review of Comparative Interventional Studies with an Exploratory Network Meta-Analysis. Med. Sci. 2026, 14, 307. https://doi.org/10.3390/medsci14020307
Gupta AK, Bamimore MA, Wang T, Talukder M, Piguet V. Monotherapy with Biologics for Generalized Pustular Psoriasis: A Systematic Review of Comparative Interventional Studies with an Exploratory Network Meta-Analysis. Medical Sciences. 2026; 14(2):307. https://doi.org/10.3390/medsci14020307
Chicago/Turabian StyleGupta, Aditya K., Mary A. Bamimore, Tong Wang, Mesbah Talukder, and Vincent Piguet. 2026. "Monotherapy with Biologics for Generalized Pustular Psoriasis: A Systematic Review of Comparative Interventional Studies with an Exploratory Network Meta-Analysis" Medical Sciences 14, no. 2: 307. https://doi.org/10.3390/medsci14020307
APA StyleGupta, A. K., Bamimore, M. A., Wang, T., Talukder, M., & Piguet, V. (2026). Monotherapy with Biologics for Generalized Pustular Psoriasis: A Systematic Review of Comparative Interventional Studies with an Exploratory Network Meta-Analysis. Medical Sciences, 14(2), 307. https://doi.org/10.3390/medsci14020307

