Combination of Biologic and Anti-obesity Therapies in Psoriatic Arthritis

This study is looking for people aged between 18 and 75 years old who have been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis for at least six months. Your arthritis needs to be active, meaning you have at least three swollen joints and three tender joints. You also need to have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 27 or higher, which means you are considered overweight or obese.

To be included, you must have a joint that a doctor can safely take a small sample from, and a psoriasis patch on your skin that can also be sampled. You'll need to be able to understand the study information and sign a consent form, and be willing to attend appointments and have the necessary samples taken.

You cannot join if you have previously used tirzepatide (the weight loss drug) or ixekizumab (one of the PsA drugs) in the past. There are also restrictions if you've already tried many different types of strong PsA medications, or if you've used certain other specific treatments like rituximab, or a combination of secukinumab and bimekizumab.

If you join the study, you'll be assigned to one of three groups: you'll either receive tirzepatide only, ixekizumab only, or both medications. At the start, and again after 12 weeks, the study team will take small tissue samples from one of your joints, your skin (from a psoriasis patch), and your fat. This will be done using local anaesthetic to numb the area. You'll also have blood and urine samples taken at various times throughout the study.

The study will last for 52 weeks (about a year). You'll have regular check-ups to see how your psoriatic arthritis is doing. If you are in the tirzepatide-only group and your PsA isn't improving enough by week 12, 24, or 36, you might be offered ixekizumab to help manage your condition. You'll have several visits for assessments, including examinations and questionnaires. You might also be given the option to have additional tissue samples taken at 36 weeks.