UCB stock advances on fresh BIMZELX psoriatic arthritis data

UCB released new 24-week results from its BE BOLD head-to-head study on Monday, November 9, adding fresh clinical evidence for BIMZELX in psoriatic arthritis. According to UCB, 54.9% of patients receiving bimekizumab achieved an ACR50 response at Week 24, compared with 43.8% for risankizumab.

UCB stock traded at 294.50 euros on Lang & Schwarz at 11:21 CET on Monday, November 9. A dated Xetra closing-price comparison is not available for this report, so the quote is shown without a daily direction.

BIMZELX maintains the response lead

The Week 24 ACR50 result extended the advantage already seen at Week 16. At that earlier point, 49.1% of patients treated with bimekizumab reached ACR50, versus 38.0% in the risankizumab group, a difference of 11.1 percentage points. The Week 16 result was the study's primary endpoint and was statistically significant.

BE BOLD enrolled 553 adults with active psoriatic arthritis in a randomized, double-blind Phase 3b design. The participants were either new to biologic treatment or had previously received one tumor necrosis factor inhibitor without adequate benefit or with intolerance. The study compares UCB's BIMZELX with risankizumab, marketed as Skyrizi.

UCB said responses were numerically higher for BIMZELX across the secondary endpoints through Week 24, covering joint, skin and overall disease activity. The first ranked secondary endpoint, minimal disease activity at Week 16, was 3.4 percentage points higher with bimekizumab, but the result was not statistically significant and sequential testing stopped at that point.

Safety remains part of the comparison

Overall treatment-emergent adverse events were comparable between the groups. Localized Candida infections were more frequent with bimekizumab at 2.9%, compared with 0.7% for risankizumab; UCB said all such infections were mild or moderate, with none serious or leading to discontinuation. The trial was not designed to compare safety statistically.

Skin clearance results were less decisive than the joint-response data. In the relevant subgroup, PASI100 was reached by 59.7% of bimekizumab-treated patients and 59.1% of those receiving risankizumab at Week 24, without nominal statistical significance.

Next presentation comes Tuesday

The complete Week 24 findings are scheduled for an oral presentation at ACR Convergence in Orlando at 10:15 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, November 10. UCB said the data form part of a wider ACR program covering 18 abstracts across psoriatic arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

For investors, the update adds a new clinical milestone to UCB's commercial focus on BIMZELX. The Week 24 comparison supports the product's competitive positioning in joint outcomes, while the exploratory status of several measures and the Candida imbalance leave room for further scrutiny as the company develops its immunology portfolio.

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