The Impact of Interleukin-17 Inhibitors on Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events in Psoriasis or Psoriatic Arthritis Patients Naive to Biologic Agents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

The objective of this systematic review is to determine the effects of IL-17 inhibitors on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients with either psoriasis (PsO) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA). A systematic literature search in three databases (Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for Randomized Controlled Trials) was conducted on December 7, 2022 for randomized controlled trials of patients with PsO/PsA treated with IL-17 inhibitors that reported confirmed MACEs. Two reviewers screened titles and abstracts and identified papers for full-text review. Exclusion criteria included trials that included the previous use of biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. The Mantel-Haenszel random-effect method was utilized to calculate risk ratios and heterogeneity was measured by chi(2) test and I2 statistics. Funnel plot analysis was undertaken to detect potential publication bias. Of the 919 references identified, nine RCT studies were included in the meta-analysis (n=2,096 patients). There was no statistically significant correlation between the use of IL-17 inhibitors and change in risk of MACEs (Risk Ratio 0.56; 95% CI 0.15 to 2.14; p = 0.40). Subgroup analysis of secukinumab or ixekizumab also did not demonstrate these changes. Additionally, there was no detectable dose-dependent effect of IL-17 inhibitors. In conclusion, IL17 inhibitor use is not correlated with a change in MACE risk in patients with PsO/PsA who previously did not receive biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs.