Risankizumab Significantly Improves Quality of Life in Genital and Scalp Psoriasis at 16 Weeks

Results from the phase 4 UnlIMMited trial demonstrate that risankizumab significantly improves quality of life (QoL) in patients with genital or scalp psoriasis (PsO)—areas known to carry a disproportionate disease burden.

“PsO plaques in some areas of the body, such as the genitalia or scalp, are considered areas of high impact and are associated with increased disease burden and increased impact on QoL,” the investigators noted. This study aimed to assess patient-reported QoL improvements after 16 weeks of risankizumab treatment.

In this multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, adult patients with moderate-to-severe genital (Study-G) or scalp (Study-S) PsO were randomized 1:1 to receive risankizumab 150 mg or placebo at weeks 0 and 4. QoL was assessed using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), focusing on key domains such as symptoms, embarrassment, daily activities, and social interactions.

At week 16, risankizumab-treated patients showed marked improvements compared with placebo. A higher proportion of patients with genital psoriasis achieved DLQI 0 (no impact on life) and DLQI 0/1 (minimal impact), with most patients (72.0%–88.9%) achieving DLQI 0/1.

Similar findings were observed in scalp psoriasis. As the authors noted, 83.3% to 100% of risankizumab-treated patients achieved DLQI 0/1, significantly higher than placebo, indicating minimal QoL impairment across multiple domains.

“These results show that a higher proportion of patients with genital or scalp PsO reported little to no impact of PsO on their QoL after 16 weeks of treatment with risankizumab compared to those receiving placebo,” the authors concluded. “The majority of patients receiving risankizumab in both studies reported little to no impact of PsO on their QoL at week 16.”

These findings reinforce the importance of targeting difficult-to-treat PsO areas and highlight risankizumab’s ability to deliver meaningful patient-centered benefits beyond skin clearance.

Reference

Song EJ, Lewitt GM, Nguyen H, et al. Quality of life improvements in patients with genital or scalp psoriasis receiving risankizumab: 16-week results from the UnlIMMited randomized placebo-controlled trial. Presented at: American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting; March 27–31, 2026; Denver, Colorado.