AbbVie’s Skyrizi yields to UCB’s Bimzelx in psoriatic arthritis head‑to‑head trial

UCB’s Bimzelx (bimekizumab) has bested AbbVie’s Skyrizi (risankizumab) in a head‑to‑head Phase III trial in psoriatic arthritis (PsA), meeting the primary endpoint of superior joint disease activity improvement at 16 weeks.

The BE BOLD trial shows Bimzelx, a dual IL‑17A/IL‑17F inhibitor, outperformed Skyrizi, an IL‑23 inhibitor, on ACR50 response, providing the first head‑to‑head evidence of superiority versus an IL‑23 blocker in PsA.

Analysts and UCB position this result as a potential new standard of care bar in PsA, though pragmatic real‑world factors and additional data across comorbid indications will shape uptake against Skyrizi’s established franchise.