Low COVID-19 risk for patients with psoriasis on biologic treatment

Presented by

Dr Jorge Georgakopoulos, University of Toronto, Canada

Conference

WPPAC 2021

Patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis treated with a biologic drug have a similar or possibly lower risk of contracting COVID-19 compared with the general population (0.3% vs 1.8%) [1]. This was found in a multicentre cohort study from Canada, awarded the ‘Best young researcher poster’ at the WPPAC Congress. These findings can guide physicians in continuing biologic therapy during the pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined an urgent need for adequate treatment, especially for people living with psoriatic disease and other chronic illnesses. During these uncertain times, many patients have been inquiring whether they should interrupt their treatment.

Previously, Dr Jorge Georgakopoulos (University of Toronto, Canada) and colleagues demonstrated that very few patients (1.1%) discontinued biologic therapy due to concerns regarding COVID-19 complications [2]. Around the same time, the European and American dermatology guidelines were published, which recommend continuing biologic therapy in patients who have not tested positive for or exhibited signs and/or symptoms of COVID-19. If these signs and symptoms are present or a patient is SARS-CoV-2-positive, the advice is to postpone biologic therapy.

The current multicentre, retrospective cohort study evaluated adult and paediatric patients treated with a biologic for moderate-to-severe psoriasis since the onset of the global pandemic [1]. Of 2,647 patients on biologic therapy who met the inclusion criteria, only 9 patients (0.3%) had a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Symptoms of COVID-19 were present in 6 of these patients (67%); 3 patients (33%) were asymptomatic carriers. Of the 9 infected patients, 6 (67%) discontinued biologic therapy due to COVID-19.

These results suggest that interrupting biologic treatment should be reserved for clinically unwell patients because symptoms for COVID-19-positive patients with psoriasis on a biologic were mild and no patients required oxygenation or hospitalisation.

Georgakopoulos JA. Incidence and prognosis of COVID-19 in psoriasis patients on biologic therapy: a multicenter retrospective cohort study. Poster P87, 6^th World Psoriasis & Psoriatic Arthritis Conference, 30 June–3 July 2021.
Georgakopoulos JR, Yeung J. J Cutan Med Surg. 2020;24:424–5.

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