Risankizumab Linked to Fewer Biologic Switches
In a 37-month observational study, adults with psoriatic arthritis on risankizumab changed drugs less often than those on other biologics.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Arthritis
Final results from the VALUE study, presented at the 2026 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference in Las Vegas, found that people with psoriatic arthritis who started risankizumab were less likely to change treatment by 37 months than those on other biologics. Readers with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis treated with biologics worldwide may find the findings useful for discussing treatment durability with their doctor.
Why it matters
Changing biologic drugs often happens when a treatment stops working well or causes side effects, so how long a first treatment lasts shapes both symptom control and long-term care. The findings add real-world evidence to a question clinicians and patients weigh when choosing among newer biologic options.
This post hoc analysis of 462 patients with psoriatic arthritis in the observational VALUE study used propensity score matching to create two groups of 121 patients each. Because it is observational and post hoc, the results show association rather than proof that risankizumab itself caused fewer treatment changes.
The players
AbbVie
A global biopharmaceutical company with a major immunology portfolio, including treatments for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, and a co-investigator in this study.
Monash University
An Australian research university whose researchers contributed to the VALUE study investigation.
University of Toronto
A Canadian research university whose clinicians contributed to the VALUE study investigation.
University of Lübeck
A German university medical center whose researchers contributed to the VALUE study investigation.
The details
Risankizumab is an interleukin-23 inhibitor, a class of biologic that targets a signaling protein involved in inflammation driving both psoriasis and joint involvement. The VALUE study tracked patients over roughly three years, and the matched design balanced groups for prior biologic use to make the comparison fairer. The study reported that 56.2% of patients in each group were biologic-naive, with a mean age of 51.0 years in the risankizumab group.
Timeline
An interim analysis presented at the 2025 Fall Clinical meeting showed higher risankizumab drug survival at 25 months.
Final results with 37 months of follow-up were presented at the 2026 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Health Landscape
Biologic drugs have transformed treatment for psoriatic arthritis, but clinicians still face uncertainty about which first biologic will keep working over time. Long-term observational data like the VALUE study help fill that gap alongside randomized trials, which typically run for shorter periods.
If you have psoriatic arthritis, these findings are worth raising at your next appointment when discussing how long a biologic is likely to remain effective. Your rheumatologist or dermatologist can help weigh this kind of long-term evidence against your own symptoms, prior treatments, and goals.
The takeaway
Long-term data suggest that some newer biologics may keep working for longer in people with psoriatic arthritis, though this is observational evidence. Ask your doctor how drug-survival data like this might inform your treatment plan.
Further reading
For more background on how these inflammatory joint treatments are evaluated, explore our Arthritis coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Hcplive.
