UCB has reported three-year results from its phase 3 BE HEARD clinical trial programme showing sustained disease control with bimekizumab in adults with moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). The long-term data demonstrate durable resolution of inflammatory lesions alongside meaningful and persistent reductions in overall disease severity.1
Bimekizumab, a biologic that selectively targets both interleukin-17A (IL-17A) and interleukin-17F (IL-17F), maintained its clinical benefit over three years in patients who continued treatment in the open-label extension study, BE HEARD EXT (NCT04901195). The findings add to the growing body of evidence supporting long-term dual IL-17 inhibition as a treatment strategy in HS.
Commenting on the results, Prof. Thrasyvoulos Tzellos, Dermatologist at the Department of Dermatology at Nordland Hospital Trust, NLSH Bodø, Norway, highlighted the clinical importance of sustained inflammatory control in HS. He noted that lesions such as draining tunnels can have a profound impact on patients’ daily lives and contribute to long-term tissue damage and scarring. According to Prof. Tzellos, the three-year data indicate that bimekizumab can deliver durable lesion resolution, potentially limiting disease progression over time.
At year three, 40.1% of patients assessed achieved an IHS4-100 response, reflecting complete resolution of inflammatory lesions as measured by the clinician-rated International Hidradenitis Suppurativa Severity Score System (IHS4). Higher response thresholds were also met by a substantial proportion of patients, with 59.1% achieving IHS4-90 and 77.4% achieving IHS4-75, corresponding to near-complete and substantial reductions in inflammatory disease burden, respectively.
Further analyses showed a clear shift in disease severity over the course of treatment. The proportion of patients classified as having severe HS fell from 87.4% at baseline to 14.7% at year three, while the proportion with mild or inactive disease increased to 59.4%. Mean draining tunnel counts declined from 3.8 at baseline to 0.9 at three years, alongside sustained improvements in health-related quality of life.
BE HEARD I and II were multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 studies enrolling 1,014 adults with moderate to severe HS. Patients who completed the 48-week core trials were eligible to enter the open-label extension, where treatment was aligned with the approved dosing regimen by the end of year three.
The data will be presented this week at the 15th Conference of the European Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation (EHSF) in Malta (4–6 February 2026), with additional bimekizumab findings expected at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado, from 27–31 March 2026.
References
- UCB. UCB showcases three-year hidradenitis suppurativa data at EHSF: BIMZELX® (bimekizumab) achieved inflammatory lesion resolution and substantial disease severity improvements. Press release. UCB; 4 Feb 2026. Available at: https://www.ucb.com/newsroom/press-releases/article/ucb-showcases-three-year-hidradenitis-suppurativa-data-at-ehsf-bimzelxrvbimekizumab-achieved-inflammatory-lesion-resolution-and-substantial-disease-severity-improvements (accessed Feb 2026).
Citation: Bimekizumab achieves durable lesion resolution in hidradenitis suppurativa at 3 years. TouchDERMATOLOGY. 04 Feb, 2026
Disclosure: This article was created by the touchDERMATOLOGY team utilizing AI as an editorial tool (ChatGPT (GPT-4o) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat.) The content was developed and edited by human editors. No funding was received in the publication of this article.
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