The introduction of biologic therapies for hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) has “revolutionized” treatment for the rare inflammatory skin condition, though there’s still plenty of progress to be made, according to Spherix Global Insights.
A new white paper from the market research firm charts the impact of the introduction of biologics as a treatment for HS. First to earn FDA approval in the space was AbbVie’s Humira in 2015, followed by Novartis’ Cosentyx in late 2023. Meanwhile, UCB has also delivered promising data for Bimzelx in HS, though it hasn’t yet been approved in the U.S.
Research has shown that biologics may help alleviate symptoms of HS when other treatment options—which include topical treatments, oral antibiotics, hormonal therapies and immunomodulatory therapies—have failed.
Doctors have been fairly quick to jump on the biologics train: According to Spherix, 96% of dermatologists reported using Humira for severe cases of HS, and 85% said they prescribe it for moderate cases. The drug is technically only approved for moderate-to-severe HS, but 16% of doctors said they’ve begun using it to treat mild cases, too.
Despite entering the market nearly a decade after Humira, Cosentyx has quickly become a dominant force in HS. Just under 90% of dermatologists surveyed by Spherix in August of this year said they were prescribing Novartis’ treatment, a sizable jump from the 49% who’d said so in December 2023. The derms surveyed gave Cosentyx an edge over Humira in overall efficacy and safety, where Cosentyx won out with 69% and 59% of doctors’ support in the respective categories—though Spherix noted that generating more clinical and real-world data would show that the two biologics are more comparable than doctors may perceive.
Overall, according to data cited by Spherix, in just the last quarter, the number of HS patients treated with biologics has increased 27% year over year. According to the white paper, that increase likely represents not only biologics’ grabbing market share from other treatments but also an expansion in the total number of treated patients.
There’s still plenty of room for further growth. Estimates cited by Spherix suggest that there are currently 2.2 million U.S. adults being treated for HS, with an average of 260,000 more diagnosed and treated each year.
And biologics still haven’t reached widespread use among that steadily growing patient population. According to the analysis, nearly half of patients are still reluctant to try drugs like Humira and Cosentyx due to concerns about possible side effects, the fact that they require injections and their long-term usage. Accessibility and affordability also play a role, with “reimbursement hassles” in the U.S. expected to affect nearly 40% of potential Cosentyx patients and out-of-pocket costs stopping even more patients from accessing the drug.
There’s also evidence to suggest that biologics introduced earlier in the treatment process could improve patient outcomes. Per Spherix, HS patients typically respond best to treatments before they’ve reached the “severe” stage, and doctors have shown as increasing willingness to offer biologics as that earlier option in the moderate stage of the disease.
In addition to breaking down barriers to existing treatments and starting their use earlier, continued innovation in the field of HS treatment is still needed, too, as more than 90% of doctors surveyed said they believe there’s still an unmet need among severe cases of the condition. Among those future treatments, dermatologists are most interested in therapies that show long-term safety, sustained efficacy and the ability to significantly reduce specific symptoms.
