UCB has announced that its IL-17A/IL-17F inhibitor, Bimzelx (bimekizumab), met the primary endpoint in a head-to-head Phase III trial against AbbVie's IL-23 inhibitor, Skyrizi (risankizumab), in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The BE BOLD study demonstrated that a significantly higher proportion of patients treated with bimekizumab achieved a 50% improvement in disease symptoms (ACR50) at 16 weeks compared to those treated with risankizumab. This marks the first time a biologic therapy has shown superiority to risankizumab in a Phase III study.

This is the fourth head-to-head Phase III trial in which bimekizumab has demonstrated superiority, having previously shown advantages over ustekinumab, secukinumab and adalimumab. Bimekizumab, approved in the US and EU for multiple inflammatory conditions, generated sales of USD 2.5 billion in 2025. Risankizumab, a key growth driver for AbbVie, achieved sales of USD 17.6 billion in the same year. The positive data strengthen bimekizumab's competitive profile in the crowded autoimmune disease market.

According to PharmCube's NextBiopharm® database, bimekizumab is the only approved IL-17A/IL-17F inhibitor globally, with five contestants under active development. Click here to request a free trial for NextBiopharm®.