Adalimumab: A Review in Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Subcutaneous adalimumab (Humira (R)) is a tumour necrosis factor-alpha blocker that is the only approved agent for the treatment of moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) in several countries worldwide. This article reviews the clinical efficacy and safety of subcutaneous adalimumab in patients with moderate to severe HS. In clinical trials (PIONEER I and II), a greater proportion of adalimumab than placebo recipients reached HS clinical response (HiSCR) at week 12. The main secondary end-points, such as the proportion of patients with an abscess and inflammatory nodule count of <= 2 at week 12, were significantly greater with adalimumab than with placebo in PIONEER II, but not in PIONEER I. In addition, adalimumab showed the potential to reduce the high health-related quality of life burden of HS and increase patient satisfaction. HiSCR rates were generally maintained in the longer term, and the safety profile of adalimumab in patients with moderate to severe HS was consistent with the known safety profile of the drug for other indications, with no new emerging safety signals. Adalimumab is an effective and generally well tolerated treatment for patients with moderate to severe HS, and is the first agent approved for this difficult-to-treat disease.