Sex- And Gender-based analysis of the Effectiveness of advanced therapies in Psoriatic Arthritis

Women with psoriatic arthritis are less likely to achieve remission on advanced therapies than men, and they tend to stop treatment earlier due to side effects. This international study tracks patients from diverse populations to understand how sex and gender—alongside age and ethnicity—shape treatment outcomes. Why this matters: Advanced therapies have transformed PsA care, but the reasons for sex-based differences in response remain poorly understood. Without this knowledge, women may continue to receive treatments that are less effective or more harmful for them, while men may be undertreated. The study fills a gap by systematically collecting data on biological sex and social gender, which are often conflated or ignored in clinical trials. Potential impact: If the research succeeds, clinicians could tailor therapy choices to a patient’s sex and gender profile, reducing trial-and-error prescribing and improving remission rates. This would shift PsA care from a one-size-fits-all approach toward a more personalised strategy, potentially lowering the burden of side effects and treatment discontinuation—especially for women. The findings could also inform guidelines for other immune-mediated diseases where similar sex disparities exist.