Efficacy and safety of ustekinumab for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis: a phase III, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in Taiwanese and Korean patients (PEARL).

Background: Ustekinumab has been evaluated in Caucasian patients with psoriasis, but no studies have been conducted in Asian patients.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of ustekinumab in Taiwanese and Korean patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis.

Methods: In this 36-week, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 121 patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis were randomized (1:1) to receive subcutaneous injections of ustekinumab 45mg at weeks 0, 4, 16 or placebo at weeks 0, 4 and ustekinumab 45mg at weeks 12, 16.