Tim Smith joined the MJH Life Sciences team in 2022 and is currently an associate editor for 

. He is also the executive producer of two podcasts: 

. Previously, he was the producer of the Lungcast podcast. He graduated from UC Berkeley and worked in multimedia journalism as a staff writer prior to joining MJH. You can contact him at tsmith@mjhlifesciences.com.


It evaluated the efficacy and safety of risankizumab through 52 weeks in children and adolescents aged 6 to younger than 18 years with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

How did risankizumab compare with ustekinumab in adolescents?


At week 16, sPGA 0/1, PASI 75, and PASI 90 rates were similar in the 2 groups. PASI 100 was more frequent with risankizumab (41% vs 18%).

How is risankizumab dosed in pediatric patients in OptIMMize-1?


Dosing was weight based: 150 mg for patients weighing 40 kg or more and 55 mg for those under 40 kg, given subcutaneously at weeks 0 and 4 and then every 12 weeks.

Risankizumab produced durable gains in skin clearance, itch, and quality of life among children and adolescents with 

, according to 52-week results from the phase 3 OptIMMize-1 study published in the 

Risankizumab is an interleukin-23 (IL-23) p19 inhibitor and has been FDA approved for adults with moderate to severe psoriasis since 2019. Until now, no pediatric data had been reported.¹ The investigators said consensus guidance on advanced therapy for younger patients is still limited, and real-world biologic use in children trails the available evidence.¹

OptIMMize-1 (NCT04435600) enrolled 137 patients at 41 centers in 7 countries and had 4 parts.² Parts 1 and 2 enrolled adolescents aged 12 to younger than 18 years, and Parts 3 and 4 enrolled children aged 6 to younger than 12 years. Parts 1 and 3 were pharmacokinetic studies used to set weight-based dosing: 150 mg for patients weighing 40 kg or more and 55 mg for those under 40 kg.¹

How Did Risankizumab Compare with Ustekinumab in Adolescents with Psoriasis?

In Part 2, 82 adolescents were randomized 2:1 to assessor-blinded risankizumab (n = 54) or ustekinumab (n = 28). The analysis was descriptive, with no formal statistical comparisons.¹

At the 16-week mark, response rates were shown to be broadly similar between the 2 arms. A static Physician’s Global Assessment score of clear or almost clear (sPGA 0/1) was reached by 80% (43/54) of risankizumab recipients and 75% (21/28) of ustekinumab recipients. PASI 75 rates were 85% (46/54) and 86% (24/28), and PASI 90 rates were 65% (35/54) and 61% (17/28), respectively.¹

The arms separated more on complete clearance. PASI 100 was attained by 41% (22/54) of those in the risankizumab group compared with 18% (5/28) of the ustekinumab group. Most outcomes began improving as early as week 4.¹

Among 30 children treated in the open-label Part 4, week-16 rates were 90% (27/30) for sPGA 0/1, 87% (26/30) for PASI 75, 77% (23/30) for PASI 90, and 43% (13/30) for PASI 100. Responses were maintained or improved by week 52.¹

What Happened When Adolescents Stopped or Switched to Risankizumab?

Adolescents who responded at week 16 and stayed on risankizumab kept their skin clearance through week 52. Patients who had not responded initially, and those who switched from ustekinumab, continued to improve between weeks 16 and 52.¹

Of 21 responders re-randomized to treatment withdrawal, 8 (38%) lost response and entered a 16-week retreatment period, during which their skin clearance improved again. Itch scores followed a similar pattern. Children’s Dermatology Life Quality Index scores improved from baseline in every Part 2 treatment group.¹

Was Risankizumab Safe in Children and Adolescents with Psoriasis?

The authors reported risankizumab was well tolerated in all study parts, with a safety profile consistent with adult psoriasis trials. No adverse events led to discontinuation or death. There were no serious infections, cases of active tuberculosis, malignancies, or adjudicated anaphylactic reactions.¹

Part 2 had 2 serious events, both judged unrelated to treatment: a fibula fracture and a case of suicidal ideation in a patient with pre-existing depression. The most common adverse event was nasopharyngitis among adolescents in Part 2 (30%) and pyrexia among children in Part 4 (13%).¹

Antidrug antibody incidence was low and was not considered clinically relevant. The authors concluded the findings support risankizumab as a treatment option for moderate to severe psoriasis in pediatric patients.¹

Editor's Note: This summary has been edited for grammar and clarity using artificial intelligence tools.

Magnolo N, Wine Lee L, Reich A, et al. Efficacy and safety of risankizumab in paediatric patients with psoriasis in the OptIMMize-1 phase III study. 

. Published online September 26, 2026. doi:10.1093/bjd/ljag403.

ClinicalTrials.gov. A study of subcutaneous risankizumab injection for pediatric participants with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis to assess change in disease symptoms. NCT04435600. Accessed November 10, 2026. 

https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04435600

Articles

Risankizumab improved skin clearance, itch, and quality of life through 52 weeks in pediatric psoriasis in the phase 3 OptIMMize-1 study.

Plaque Psoriasis

The HCPLive plaque psoriasis page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on psoriasis. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments for psoriatic disease, and more.

News

news page, resources on the topics of disease- and specialty-specific medical news and expert insight can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on health care research, treatment, and drug development.

Clinical

clinical page is a resource for content on every specialty, disease, and topic available on our medical news site.

OptIMMize-1: Risankizumab Clears Skin in Children, Teens with Psoriasis

David Singh, MBBChir, MA (Cantab), MRCP, MD, FBPhS, FERS, is a professor of Clinical Pharmacology & Respiratory Medicine at the University of Manchester and is the medical director of the Medicines Evaluation Unit (MEU).

Targeting the alarmin interleukin (IL)-33 may extend biologic therapy to patients with 

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

 who lack evidence of type 2 inflammation, according to Dave Singh, MD. Singh is professor of clinical pharmacology and respiratory medicine at the University of Manchester, medical director of the Medicines Evaluation Unit and a member of the GOLD Science Committee. He discussed IL-33 inhibition and the 2027 GOLD report with 

IL-33 Biologics and the 2027 GOLD Report, With Dave Singh, MD

What Did OBERON and TITANIA Show for IL-33 Inhibition?

Singh described non-type 2 COPD, marked by low eosinophil counts, as an area of clear unmet need. IL-33 is released by epithelial and endothelial cells and drives a broad range of inflammatory pathways, which makes it a candidate target beyond eosinophilic disease.

In the replicate phase 3 OBERON and TITANIA trials, tozorakimab 300 mg every 4 weeks reduced moderate to severe exacerbations by 30% and 29%, respectively, across former and current smokers.¹˒² In a pooled analysis, the reduction was 23% among patients with blood eosinophil counts below 150 cells/µL and 43% among those with counts of 300 cells/µL or higher.²

Singh expects responses to vary among patients. Until clinicians can predict who will benefit, he said, treatment decisions may depend on assessing response after a trial of therapy.

How Does the 2027 GOLD Report Refine COPD Guidance?

Singh described the 2027 GOLD update as a refinement rather than a major advance, adding detail on issues clinicians see often in practice.³ The report expands its discussion of the evidence on mucus plugging. It also adjusts the language around early, mild and pre-COPD, terms Singh acknowledged often cause confusion.

He linked the focus on earlier disease to clinical trial design. Most COPD trials enroll patients late in the course of the disease. Singh emphasized the value of studying younger, higher-risk individuals before substantial lung damage develops, both to support earlier diagnosis and to build a stronger evidence base.

Why Are Unlicensed Biologics Left Out of the GOLD Algorithm?

GOLD discusses published trial data for investigational biologics such as tozorakimab and astegolimab but leaves them out of its treatment algorithm until they are licensed.³ Singh noted that tozorakimab has 2 positive phase 3 trials. Roche has reported that astegolimab’s phase 3 results were less consistent.⁴

He advised clinicians to follow their local licensing framework. Once a biologic is approved in a given country, clinicians there can prescribe it according to its label.

Editor’s Note: This summary of a session has been edited for grammar and clarity using artificial intelligence tools. Singh had no relevant financial disclosures of note.

Sciurba FC, Watz H, Bourdin A, et al. Tozorakimab to prevent COPD exacerbations. 

. Published online September 8, 2026. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2606998.

Indian Pharma Post. AstraZeneca’s tozorakimab cuts COPD exacerbations by up to 34% in broad phase III population. Published September 11, 2026. Accessed November 10, 2026. 

https://www.indianpharmapost.com/news/astrazenecas-tozorakimab-cuts-copd-exacerbations-by-up-to-34-in-broad-phase-iii-population-21787

Agustí A, Vogelmeier CF. 2027 GOLD report and review. Presented at: GOLD 2026 COPD International Conference; November 5-6, 2026; Philadelphia, PA.

Roche. Roche provides update on astegolimab in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Published July 21, 2025. Accessed November 10, 2026. 

https://www.roche.com/media/releases/med-cor-2025-07-21

Videos

Dave Singh, MD, discusses IL-33 inhibition for non-type 2 COPD, 2027 GOLD report refinements, and how to view biologics not yet in the GOLD algorithm.

COPD

COPD condition center page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on COPD research, treatment, and drug development.

Conference

 conference coverage page features articles, videos, and expert-led live coverage from major medical meetings throughout the year.

Credit: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS)

 treated with bimekizumab (Bimzelx) for 3 years reported substantial gains in quality of life and symptom relief, regardless of how many draining tunnels they had at the start of treatment. The pooled BE HEARD data were presented at the 2026 Symposium on Hidradenitis Suppurativa Advances (SHSA) in Tucson, Arizona.¹ By year 3, about half of patients in every baseline tunnel category reported that HS had no effect on their quality of life.

Draining tunnels are linked to disease progression and drive much of the pain, itch, drainage and odor patients experience. Bimekizumab, which inhibits both interleukin (IL)-17A and IL-17F, was approved by the 

 for adults with moderate to severe HS in November 2024, based on the phase 3 BE HEARD I and BE HEARD II trials.²˒³

The analysis was led by Christopher J. Sayed, MD, of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. His co-authors included Martina L. Porter, MD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, and Hessel H. van der Zee, MD, PhD, of Erasmus Medical Center.¹

Investigators pooled data from BE HEARD I and II and the open-label BE HEARD EXT study. Of 868 patients randomly assigned to bimekizumab 320 mg at baseline, 556 entered the extension and continued treatment. Results are reported as observed cases through year 3 (148 weeks).¹

Patients were grouped by baseline draining tunnel count: 0, 1 to 2, 3 to 5 or more than 5. At baseline, the mean age was 36.3 years, 53.8% of patients were female, the mean draining tunnel count was 3.8 and 45.5% had Hurley stage III disease.¹ Outcomes included the HS Quality of Life (HiSQOL) total score and individual items from the HS Symptom Questionnaire (HSSQ).

How Did Draining Tunnels and Quality of Life Change Over 3 Years?

The share of patients with no draining tunnels rose from 23.6% at baseline to 68.7% (252/367) at year 3. The share with more than 5 tunnels fell from 23.2% to 4.1% (15/367).¹

At baseline, 1.4% to 6.1% of patients across tunnel groups had a HiSQOL total score of 4 or lower, meaning HS had no impact on their quality of life.¹ At year 3, the rates were:

43.8% (32/73) for patients with no baseline tunnels

Which HS Symptoms Improved With Bimekizumab?

In every tunnel category, the proportion of patients scoring 0 on each HSSQ symptom item was no higher than 12.2% at baseline and rose to similar levels across groups by year 3.¹ At year 3, the share of patients with no symptoms was:

At baseline, these rates had ranged from 0% to 3.1% for skin pain and 0.8% to 10.7% for drainage.¹ The authors concluded that the results show long-term benefit and reduced cumulative disease burden with bimekizumab.

The observed-case analysis includes only patients who stayed on treatment, and the open-label extension had no comparator arm. UCB funded the study, and 4 of the 12 authors are UCB employees.¹

Editor’s Note: This summary has been edited for grammar and clarity using artificial intelligence tools.

Sayed CJ, Porter ML, Weisman J, et al. Bimekizumab improves patient-reported outcomes regardless of baseline DT count: 3-year BE HEARD trial. Presented at: Symposium on Hidradenitis Suppurativa Advances; November 6-8, 2026; Tucson, AZ.

Kimball AB, Jemec GBE, Sayed CJ, et al. Efficacy and safety of bimekizumab in patients with moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa (BE HEARD I and BE HEARD II): two 48-week, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre phase 3 trials. 

. 2024;403(10443):2504-2519. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(24)00101-6.

Smith T. FDA approves bimekizumab for adults with hidradenitis suppurativa. 

. Published November 20, 2024. Accessed November 10, 2026. 

https://www.hcplive.com/view/fda-approves-bimekizumab-adults-with-hidradenitis-suppurativa

In 3-year BE HEARD data, close to half of bimekizumab-treated HS patients reported no quality-of-life impact, regardless of baseline draining tunnel count.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Hidradenitis Suppurativa condition center page, audiences can find a variety of coverage mediums for medical news and updates, including articles, video interviews, podcasts, and breaking news on dermatology research, treatment, and drug development.

Dermatology

The HCPLive dermatology page is a resource for medical news and expert insights on skin disease. This page features expert-led coverage, articles, videos and research on the therapies and development of treatments for dermatologic conditions, and more.

3-Year BE HEARD Data Link Bimekizumab to Fewer HS Draining Tunnels

Autumn Burnette, MD, FACAAI, a clinical allergist physician at Howard University.

 has launched Allergy Rounds with Dr. Autumn, a monthly 

 podcast hosted by Autumn Burnette, MD, an allergist and immunologist at Howard University in Washington, DC, focused on new approvals, pipeline therapies, and what they mean for practice.

Allergy Rounds With Dr. Autumn

Each episode will start with recent headlines and examine what they mean for prescribing decisions the following week. New approvals often raise practical questions, including access, comparisons with current therapy, and whether insurers will require step therapy first.

“Rarely do patients come in with just one issue, and quite often I have to consult my colleagues in other specialties,” Burnette said. “Everyone brings what they know, and the plan gets better.”

Topics on the Allergy Rounds Podcast Agenda

Burnette will sit down once a month with fellow allergists and colleagues from other specialties, including pulmonologists and dermatologists. As an allergist, she sees conditions spanning respiratory, skin, gastrointestinal, and hematologic disease.

Planned topics include emerging hereditary angioedema (HAE) therapies and gene research, newly approved triple therapies for asthma, and newer nonsteroidal options in atopic dermatitis. The show will also examine payer barriers standing between patients and treatment.

Hereditary Angioedema Series Opens the Podcast


Allergy Rounds with Dr. Autumn is a monthly HCPLive podcast covering new approvals, pipeline therapies, and practice issues in allergy and immunology, with guests from multiple specialties.

What will the first episode of Allergy Rounds cover?


The first episode will focus on HAE, including the 2026 treatment landscape, updated guidelines, unmet needs, and therapies in the pipeline.

How can clinicians suggest topics for Allergy Rounds?


Listeners can share topic ideas with HCPLive on social media at @hcplivenews.

The first full episode will focus on HAE and how far care has come in 2026. Burnette will review the treatment landscape, discuss updated guidelines, address unmet needs, and look at the pipeline beyond 2026.

The World Allergy Organization (WAO) published its 2025 guidelines for the classification, diagnosis, and treatment of HAE in 2026.¹ The guidelines call for a treat-to-target approach to long-term prophylaxis, reassessed at least annually through shared decision-making, and on-demand treatment access for every patient with confirmed HAE.¹ The FDA also accepted with priority review the biologics license application for lonvoguran ziclumeran (lonvo-z), a single-dose in vivo CRISPR therapy.²

New episodes of Allergy Rounds with Dr. Autumn post monthly in audio and video formats on major podcast platforms and hcplive.com.

Editor’s note: Reported disclosures include Ionis Pharmaceuticals, ARS Pharmaceuticals Operations, GENZYME CORPORATION, Regeneron Healthcare Solutions, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Organon LLC, Lilly USA, LLC, CSL Behring, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, and more.

Vázquez DO, Giavina-Bianchi P, Josviack D, et al. The 2025 WAO guidelines for the classification, diagnosis, and treatment of hereditary angioedema, with consideration of worldwide disparities. 

HCPLive. Lonvo-z BLA accepted by FDA with priority review for HAE. 

https://www.hcplive.com/view/lonvo-z-bla-accepted-fda-priority-review-hae

. Published September 8, 2026. Accessed November 9, 2026.

Podcasts

Autumn Burnette, MD, hosts a new monthly allergy and immunology podcast from HCPLive, opening with an episode on hereditary angioedema.

podcasts page features a feed of medical news and interview podcast series, including DocTalk, Lungcast, Derm Discussions, and Heart Trials.

Allergy

Allergy condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on allergic and inflammatory diseases. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for food and seasonal allergies, as well as allergic asthma and related conditions.

Allergy Rounds is a monthly podcast where Autumn Burnette, MD, of Howard University makes the rounds with allergists, pulmonologists, dermatologists, and other specialists to discuss what’s new, from emerging HAE therapies and gene-editing research to newly approved triple therapies and the payer battles that stand between patients and treatment. Each episode goes past the press release to ask what a new approval, trial result, or guideline shift actually means for the clinician deciding what to prescribe next week.

Martina J. Porter, MD, is a dermatologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Povorcitinib, an oral selective JAK1 inhibitor, met its primary endpoint in the 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 STOP-HS trials of 1,227 patients with moderate to severe 

 (HS).¹ At week 12, HiSCR50 rates were 40% (82/204) and 41% (82/202) with 45 mg and 75 mg in STOP-HS1 versus 30% (60/202) with placebo.¹ In STOP-HS2, HiSCR50 rates were 42% (88/208) for both doses versus 29% (58/203) with placebo.¹

Martina Porter, MD, is a dermatologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and vice chair of research and academics in its department of dermatology. She specializes in HS care and clinical trials and is first author of the STOP-HS report published in Nature Medicine in August 2026.¹

Through week 54, HiSCR50 reached up to 71.4%, HiSCR75 up to 57%, and HiSCR100 up to 29%, according to Incyte.² Draining tunnels fell by up to 62.0% and abscesses by up to 63.7% with the 75 mg dose at week 54.² Treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 76.2% to 83.4% of patients, with acne, nasopharyngitis, and upper respiratory tract infections most frequent, and serious events in 3.7% to 6.4%.²

Incyte has submitted a New Drug Application to the FDA and a Marketing Authorization Application to the EMA, and both are under review.² If approved, povorcitinib would add a mechanism distinct from the TNF alpha and IL-17 inhibitors used in HS today. In the following interview, Porter discusses unmet needs in HS, how response builds over time, which patients may benefit most, and the safety of oral JAK1 inhibition.

: How does an oral JAK1 inhibitor add to a treatment landscape of injectable biologics for HS?

 It's been interesting to see how HS has evolved in terms of our research pursuits in the last few years. We're very fortunate to have so many drugs that have gone through phase 3 studies and even been approved in the last couple of years. Adalimumab has been available for over 10 years now for HS, and it was our first and only drug, a TNF alpha inhibitor. In the last 2 years, we've had secukinumab and bimekizumab approved for HS, and I think that really revolutionized the field by giving us more options. It's amazing that we're going to have a totally different mechanism and also administration route for patients. 

Povorcitinib is an oral selective JAK1 inhibitor. It's not approved for anything else yet, but it has been looked at in other conditions in dermatology. The very exciting part is not so much that it's oral, it's that it offers a totally different option for patients. TNF alpha and IL-17 are relatively close in the signaling pathway, and JAK inhibition in the JAK-STAT pathway doesn't overlap with TNF or IL-17 to the same degree. It may inhibit some of those molecules downstream, but it's not directly in line, so we're looking at being able to offer a totally different mechanism. For some patients who have already taken biologics and had very minimal response, this could be very promising. I've also seen in clinical practice that it has varying effects on different types of HS patients, so I also think it could be considered first line in the future, depending on how it's approved by the FDA.

: Is it time to raise the bar for what counts as a successful treatment response in HS?

 I think the answer overall is yes, with a lot of caveats to go along with it. The most important thing for patients is that when they start taking a medication, they notice something improving relatively soon, which keeps them motivated to stay on therapy. Seeing patients hit HiSCR50 as early as week 3 matters to them. I always say in clinical practice that HiSCR75, or approximately a 75% improvement, is what allows patients to take a therapy and say they're happy enough and want to continue. That's been supported by some of our patient-reported outcomes, where we see pretty stark differences between patients who get 75% better and those who do not. That's what I personally try to shoot for in clinical practice, but obviously the best outcomes for patients would be HiSCR90 and HiSCR100. Across all medications and all trials, though, it's very hard to hit those marks. It's not like psoriasis drugs, where we get PASI 75, 90, and 100 in more than half of patients in less than 4 months. 

Even though HiSCR50 is our primary endpoint at week 12, HS is such an inflammatory and long-standing chronic disease that with most medications we see even more patients hit HiSCR50 at the 24-week mark, and again at 54 weeks. I always tell patients and other people treating HS that it's more of a marathon than a sprint. It requires a lot of patience on all of our parts, patients and clinicians, to wait to see these improvements. Improvement at week 3 and week 12 is important, but the maximum efficacy for most of these drugs lies 24 to 54 weeks down the line, and long-term data from other trials now show patients can still improve out to the 2- and 3-year marks. For milder patients we'll see improvements much sooner, but for patients with long-standing disease it takes a lot more time, so we don't want to give up too soon.

: Which patients do you expect to benefit most from povorcitinib, including those who have already taken biologics?

 At one of the recent conferences, they did an analysis of patients who were biologic-exposed prior to entering the trial to see what their efficacy endpoints were. The patients who had previously failed or stopped biologics for whatever reason did just as well as patients overall in the trial. That might sound like a throwaway, but it's a big difference, because those patients had much higher lesion counts and worse disease at baseline, with higher abscess, nodule, and draining tunnel counts, and they were still able to achieve the same types of endpoints as a patient who had never taken a biologic. 

By the time this drug comes to market, quite a few of our patients will have already taken biologics, so it's important to know how this population does. To me, it suggests a really good treatment option for patients who may have already failed one of these biologics, because TNF alpha and IL-17 inhibitors are not that far apart in the pathophysiology they're targeting, whereas JAK inhibitors, specifically JAK1 selective, target different pathways. It also supports the idea that there are different drivers of disease for different patients, and some who didn't respond to traditional biologics may not have had disease signaling through TNF alpha or IL-17. For treatment-refractory patients, it also potentially opens the door to combining therapies, since JAK1 selective and IL-17A, for example, have very little overlap, and you may be able to hit both if you're able to get them approved. 

I've used quite a few of the JAK inhibitors already approved for other conditions, and I've noticed something that isn't the type of data we capture in clinical trials: I think 2 populations really benefit from JAK inhibitors in HS. One looks very similar to the Crohn's patients we see with horrible tunneling or lots of fistulas in the groin and buttocks, the patients who sit down on the bed and there's pus everywhere. Those patients do pretty well on high-dose JAK inhibition, and it may be that they're more of a Crohn's phenotype, which also has many JAK inhibitors approved. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum are people with a lot of nodules who don't really make tunnels over time. They have a very long-standing history of disease, and maybe lots of females in their family have a similar presentation. 

Those patients also do really well with JAK inhibition, but they're probably not the patients people automatically think need systemic therapy, because they're milder. I do think it'll be important as we move forward to start treating earlier, before people get scarring and tunneling, and maybe this medication will have a big impact in what we now call the window of opportunity to halt their disease before it gets worse.

: Acne was the most common treatment-emergent adverse event. How did patients tolerate it, and how should dermatologists counsel and manage it?

 Acne was the most common treatment-emergent adverse event in this trial, affecting just under 20% of patients overall. The interesting part was there was no dose-related issue. We thought maybe at the 12-week mark the higher dose had higher rates of acne, but when you look out to 54 weeks, the 2 groups had about the same number of patients with acne. They graded the severity of acne for this trial, and it's nice to be a dermatologist doing a clinical trial because we know we can trust the severity assessments for a skin condition. Almost all patients were mild, with a few moderate, and no one developed large cystic or severe acne reactions requiring discontinuation of the drug. Acne and HS also overlap a lot in treatment. 

In clinical practice, for a patient with persistent acne, we might start with topicals and then transition to oral antibiotics or isotretinoin. In HS clinical trials, though, all of those medications can potentially affect the HS efficacy endpoints, so they're prohibited, and patients weren't able to receive full acne treatment. It's difficult to know what would have happened if we had been able to treat them adequately, which we'll be able to do in real practice. My personal experience is that JAK inhibitors cause acne across all populations, whether patients take them for atopic dermatitis, alopecia areata, or inflammatory bowel disease, and the patterns are very similar: mostly milder lesions in a hormonal distribution. HS mostly affects younger females, who are much more likely to get hormonal acne, so it wasn't surprising to see more acne in this population than in others. 

This is the first very large phase 3 trial we've finished for JAK inhibitors in HS, so I think we're seeing a combination of the medication causing acne, which isn't unexpected for a JAK inhibitor, and a patient population at much higher risk of getting acne. I've been very successful in my clinical practice treating patients with the same acne paradigm we use for patients who don't have HS and aren't on JAK inhibitors.

Editor's Note: This transcript has been edited for grammar and clarity using artificial intelligence tools. Disclosures for Porter include AbbVie, Almirall, Arcutis, Aristea Therapeutics, Avalo Therapeutics, Eli Lilly, Incyte, Janssen, Merck, MoonLake Immunotherapeutics, Navigator Biosciences, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi, Sonoma Biotherapeutics, UCB and Zura Bio, and others.

Porter ML, et al. Povorcitinib for hidradenitis suppurativa: the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled STOP-HS1 and STOP-HS2 phase 3 trials. 

. 2026;32(8):3071-3081. doi:10.1038/s41591-026-04534-z

Incyte. Incyte announces new positive 54-week late-breaking data for povorcitinib in hidradenitis suppurativa at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting. Published March 28, 2026. Accessed November 9, 2026. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260328441699/en/incyte-announces-new-positive-54-week-late-breaking-data-for-povorcitinib-in-hidradenitis-suppurativa-at-the-2026-american-academy-of-dermatology-aad-annual-meeting/

Martina Porter, MD, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center discusses unmet needs in HS and where oral povorcitinib fits among emerging options.

Rheumatology Winter Clinical Symposium

Unmet Needs in HS and Emerging Oral Options, With Martina Porter, MD

Scientific Affairs, Innovation, and New Technology

MAESTRO-NASH data show early liver fat reductions on MRI-PDFF predict biopsy-confirmed MASH resolution and fibrosis improvement with resmetirom.

Hepatology

MASH / MASLD

The HCPLive MASH & MASLD page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and steatohepatitis. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for fatty liver disease, steatohepatitis, and more.

Early Liver Fat Changes Predict Resmetirom Response in MASH

Mazen Noureddin, MD, MHSc, is a professor of medicine and a transplant hepatologist at Houston Methodist and director of the Houston Research Institute.

Phase 2 data show zabopegdutide, a dual GLP-1/glucagon agonist, improved fibrosis and drove MASH resolution vs placebo at 48 weeks.

Zabopegdutide Improves Fibrosis, MASH Resolution at 48 Weeks

Physician and CEO, Chicago Allergy Center, and board director at American Lung Association

Juanita Mora, MD, of Chicago Allergy Center discusses strategies from boosters and antiviral prophylaxis to specialist counseling.

Pulmonology

Infectious Disease condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on respiratory health. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for asthma, COPD, interstitial lung disease, COVID-19, and more.

Strategic Alliance Partnership

Closing the COVID-19 Prevention Gap This Flu Season, With Juanita Mora, MD

Stay updated with the latest healthcare breakthroughs, including 96-week durability data for GSK’s bepirovirsen in hepatitis B, and more.

Endocrinology

The HCPLive endocrinology page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on endocrine system conditions. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for diabetes, hormonal disease, and more.

This page also hosts content previously published by EndocrinologyNetwork. 


Cardiology

Cardiology condition center page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for heart disease and cardiovascular events, as well as associated diabetes, renal failure, and more...

The HCPFive: Top News for Healthcare Providers from the Week of 11/1

Ryan Livingston joined the MJH Life Sciences team in March of 2025, shortly after graduating from TCNJ with a bachelor’s degree in English. He enjoys creative writing, reading, and scuba diving. He can be reached at rlivingston@mjhlifesciences.com.

The FDA approved asundexian with antiplatelet therapy after noncardioembolic ischemic stroke or high-risk TIA, based on OCEANIC-STROKE data.

Stroke

On the HCPLive stroke page, resources on the topics of medical news and expert insight into CVA can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on stroke medicine, and more.

FDA News

Asundexian Receives FDA Approval for Secondary Stroke Prevention

Robert S. Rosenson, MD is a professor of cardiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Robert Rosenson, MD, discusses the long-term extension of the phase 3 PALISADE trial, which demonstrated plozasiran’s association with lower ApoC3 and fasting TG.

Dyslipidemia

PALISADE Extension Supports Plozasiran’s Efficacy, Safety in Familial Chylomicronemia

Most patients with type 2 COPD also have non-type 2 inflammation, shaping how clinicians may use targeted and anti-alarmin biologics, per Dave Singh, MD.

Type 2 Biologics in COPD: Lessons from Asthma and What Comes Next

Chelsie Derman is an associate editor for 

who covers allergy and  psychiatry. She joined MJH Life Sciences in September 2023 after graduating from The College of New Jersey with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and professional writing. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing and reading.

Clinicians at ACAAI 2026 will see late-breaking HAE, anaphylaxis, urticaria, and food allergy data, plus exclusive expert interviews.

Anaphylaxis

The HCPLive anaphylaxis page is a comprehensive resource for clinical news and insights on acute allergic reactions. This page consists of interviews, articles, podcasts, and videos on the research, treatment and development of therapies for preventing anaphylaxis, and more.

Food Allergy

ACAAI 2026 Preview: Late-Breakers to Watch Out For

Pavel Strnad, MD, is a full professor and leading physician at the University Hospital Aachen in Germany.

Pavel Strnad, MD, discusses interim RestorAATion-2 data showing RNA editing with WVE-006 restored functional M-AAT and reduced Z-AAT in Pi*ZZ AATD.

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency

RNA Editing With WVE-006 Restores Functional AAT, Cuts Z-AAT in AATD

Jörn Schattenberg, MD, is a professor of medicine and director of the Metabolic Liver Research Program at the University Medical Center Mainz in Germany.

Jörn Schattenberg, MD, discusses phase 2b data showing efinopegdutide improved MASH resolution and fibrosis vs placebo, with an open-label semaglutide arm.

Latest News

OptIMMize-1: Risankizumab Clears Skin in Children, Teens with Psoriasis

IL-33 Biologics and the 2027 GOLD Report, With Dave Singh, MD

3-Year BE HEARD Data Link Bimekizumab to Fewer HS Draining Tunnels

Allergy Rounds With Dr. Autumn

Unmet Needs in HS and Emerging Oral Options, With Martina Porter, MD