Psoriasis causes itchy, flaky skin lesions that leads many to look for drugs to provide relief. For severe cases, the injectable drugs known as biologics are effective and powerful, but carry a small risk of potentially serious infections and other side effects.
An increased risk of heart attack and stroke have been linked to a newer subclass of biologics that includes the drugs ustekinumab (Stelara) and briakinumab.
However, according to a new study, the heart risk associated with these drugs may be a nonissue, reports CNN.
The research was published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Lead author of the study, Caitriona Ryan, a psoriasis researcher at the Baylor Research Institute, in Dallas told CNN, “We didn't show statistical significance, so there's no actual evidence these drugs cause cardiovascular events. Unfortunately, the way clinical trials are designed at the moment, they're powered for efficacy, [not] safety. To be able to show there's an increase in heart attack or strokes, you're going to have to look at lots, lots more patients.”
Ryan believes the pool of patients was too small and the trial too short to draw firm conclusions.
For the study, researchers reanalyzed data from 22 clinical trials that compared Stelara, briakinumab, or an older class of biologics (known as the TNF inhibitors) with placebo.
According to CNN, the analysis covered 10,183 patients.
Results showed ten of the 3,179 people taking Stelara or briakinumab had a heart attack or stroke or died of heart-related causes during the studies, while none of the 1,474 patients on placebo had a heart attack or stroke.
