Counseling Patients on Long-Term Risankizumab Safety in Psoriatic Disease

Saakshi Khattri, MD, explains how multi-year safety data with risankizumab inform discussions with patients who are concerned about the long-term risks of remaining on therapy.

In this segment, Saakshi Khattri, MD, describes how she incorporates long-term safety evidence into real-world conversations with patients who have been on risankizumab for several years. She notes that many patients with psoriasis or PsA eventually ask whether it remains safe to continue a biologic agent indefinitely. In response, she highlights that risankizumab now has safety data extending up to 5 years, a timeframe she characterizes as sufficient for many potential adverse signals to emerge if they were going to be observed in a clinical program.

Khattri emphasizes that, despite this extended observation period, no new safety signals have been identified and there have been no notable changes to the product’s prescribing information that would suggest emerging risk. She uses this stability in the safety profile to reassure patients that long-term use of risankizumab, based on current evidence, appears consistent with its established risk-benefit profile from earlier phases of development. This reassurance is particularly meaningful for individuals who have achieved good disease control and are reluctant to switch therapies.

To humanize the discussion, Khattri mentions that she sometimes uses a lighthearted anecdote—indicating she would be comfortable prescribing risankizumab even to close family members—to convey her confidence in the agent’s safety. Ultimately, she encourages patients to remain engaged in ongoing monitoring and dialogue, while underscoring that current long-term data remain reassuring.