bimekizumab: clinical use

Prescribing considerations

• Specialist initiation and supervision are required.
• Assess chronic or recurrent infection history and complete appropriate immunisations before treatment where possible.
• Bimekizumab is not recommended in inflammatory bowel disease because new disease and exacerbations have been reported.
• Review narrow-therapeutic-index CYP450 substrates and consider therapeutic monitoring.
• Counsel women who could become pregnant about contraception and pregnancy planning.

Contraindications and cautions

• Hypersensitivity to bimekizumab or an excipient.
• Clinically important active infection, including active tuberculosis.

Monitoring

• Evaluate for tuberculosis before initiation and monitor for symptoms during treatment.
• Monitor infections, including oral or mucocutaneous candidiasis; interrupt treatment for serious infection until resolved.
• Monitor for new or worsening inflammatory bowel disease and discontinue if it develops or worsens.
• Record the product name and batch number for traceability.
• Review clinical response and tolerability regularly.

Clinical pharmacology

Bimekizumab is a humanised IgG1 monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-17A, interleukin-17F and interleukin-17AF. It is expected to undergo immunoglobulin-like catabolism to peptides and amino acids; its mean terminal half-life is approximately 23 days.

Formulation and product differences

• The presentation is a single-use pre-filled pen containing a clear to slightly opalescent solution. It must not be shaken, frozen or mixed with another medicinal product.
• Follow device-specific instructions; upper-arm administration requires a healthcare professional or trained caregiver.

Injection

Route: Parenteral

Strengths: 160 mg, 320 mg