Effectiveness and Safety of Vunakizumab Over 12 Weeks in Chinese Patients With Plaque Psoriasis: A Prospective, Real‐World Cohort Study

ABSTRACT Vunakizumab is a humanized anti‐IL‐17A monoclonal antibody approved in China for moderate‐to‐severe plaque psoriasis. Real‐world data on its effectiveness and predictors of response remain scarce. This prospective, single‐center, observational study enrolled 34 adults receiving vunakizumab (240 mg subcutaneously at weeks 0, 2, and 4, then every 4 weeks). PASI, PGA, BSA, and DLQI were assessed at baseline and weeks 2, 4, 8, and 12. Univariate logistic regression with Benjamini–Hochberg correction screened baseline predictors of week‐4 PASI 90 and week‐12 PASI 100. A separate stratification analysis compared week‐12 PASI 100 rates between BMI groups using the Chinese‐specific threshold of 24 kg/m 2 (Fisher exact test). All 34 patients completed the 12‐week follow‐up (79.4% male; median age 37.5 years; median baseline PASI 10.0). At week 12, PASI 75, PASI 90, and PASI 100 rates were 100%, 91.2%, and 64.7%, respectively, and PGA 0/1 was 100%. Median DLQI decreased from 6.0 at baseline to 0 at week 12 ( p < 0.001). Adverse events occurred in 17.6% of patients, all Grade 1. In exploratory analysis, higher BMI was associated with lower week‐4 PASI 90 rates ( q = 0.032), though the association with week‐12 PASI 100 rates did not survive Benjamini–Hochberg correction ( q = 0.450). On BMI stratification, normal‐weight patients had higher week‐12 PASI 100 rates than overweight or obese patients (92.9% vs. 45.0%, p = 0.009). Vunakizumab achieved high PASI 90 and PASI 100 response rates at week 12, with adverse events limited to Grade 1. In this small exploratory cohort, higher BMI was associated with a lower probability of PASI 100 at week 12. Whether this association is reproducible and, if so, whether it should inform patient selection requires prospective evaluation in larger cohorts.