It is given intravenously by a health provider for the first three doses.
After that, the patient self-injects the medicine every other month.
Skyrizi is the first interleukin-23 inhibitor licensed for Crohn’san approach that has long seemed promising for tamping autoimmune disorders.
Verywell Health / Lara Antal
It is the first treatment licensed for Crohns disease in six years, according to AbbVie.
Skyrizi is a biologic drug that inhibits certain proteins that help regulate the bodys immune system.
Skyrizi targets IL-23, minimizing inflammation in people who have Crohns and other immune-mediated diseases.
In the first set ofclinicaltrials, AbbVie tested two doses of risankizumab1,200 milligrams and 600 milligrams.
The company landed on the latter, saying the larger dose did not improve patients outcomes.
By comparison, about one in four patients who received the placebo had clinical remission.
Many of these patients had a response to the drug as soon as the fourth week.
Some patients continued taking the drug in 180-mg and 360-mg doses, while others went through withdrawal.
The FDA is currently reviewing data for 180-mg self-administered maintenance doses.
Biologic therapies, including Skyrizi, can help people achieve remission if other medicines dont work.
Many Crohns patients will seek surgery to treat damage from the disease during their lifetime.
Accessibility and Limitations
As an immunosuppressant, Skyrizi can increase the risk of infections, includingtuberculosis.
In clinical trials, one patient was hospitalized for a change in liver function and subsequent rash.
Thelist pricefor Skyrizi is more than $18,000 per dose.
Because the drug is licensed for other conditions, it is already available on the market.
Skyrizi[package insert].
North Chicago, IL: AbbVie Inc. Jan. 2022.
Skyrizi[package insert].
North Chicago, IL: AbbVie Inc. April, 2019.
2022;399(10340):2015-2030. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00467-6
