Effisayil™ 1: A Study to Test Spesolimab (BI 655130) in Patients With a Flare-up of a Skin Disease Called Generalized Pustular Psoriasis

Effisayil™ 1:Multi-center, Double-blind, Randomised, Placebo-controlled, Phase II Study to Evaluate Efficacy, Safety and Tolerability of a Single Intravenous Dose of Spesolimab (BI 655130) in Patients With Generalized Pustular Psoriasis (GPP) Presenting With an Acute Flare of Moderate to Severe Intensity

To evaluate efficacy, safety, and tolerability of spesolimab (BI 655130) compared to placebo in patients with Generalized Pustular Psoriasis (GPP) presenting with an acute flare of moderate to severe intensity.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Generalized Pustular Psoriasis
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Placebo; Drug: Spesolimab

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 53
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Dalian, China, 116011
    • The First Hospital of Dalian Medical University
  • Hangzhou, China, 310009
    • 2nd Affiliated Hosp Zhejiang University College of Medical
  • Shanghai, China, 200000
    • Shanghai Skin Disease Hospital
  • Shanghai, China, 200040
    • Huashan Hospital, Fudan University
  • Tianjin, China, 30052
    • Tianjin Medical University General Hospital
• France
  • Bordeaux, France, 33000
    • HOP Saint-André
  • Paris, France, 75010
    • HOP Saint-Louis
  • Reims, France, 51092
    • HOP Robert Debré
• Germany
  • Berlin, Germany, 10117
    • Charite - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
  • Bonn, Germany, 53127
    • Universitätsklinikum Bonn AöR
  • Essen, Germany, 45147
    • Universitätsklinikum Essen AöR
  • München, Germany, 80337
    • Klinikum der Universität München - Campus Innenstadt
• Japan
  • Aichi, Nagoya, Japan, 467-8602
    • Nagoya City University Hospital
  • Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan, 814-0180
    • Fukuoka University Hospital
  • Hokkaido, Asahikawa, Japan, 078-8510
    • Asahikawa Medical University Hospital
  • Miyagi, Sendai, Japan, 980-8574
    • Tohoku University Hospital
  • Tokyo, Hachioji, Japan, 193-0998
    • Tokyo Medical University Hachioji Medical Center
  • Tokyo, Shinjuku-ku, Japan, 160-0023
    • Tokyo Medical University Hospital
• Malaysia
  • Johor Bahru, Malaysia, 80100
    • Hospital Sultanah Aminah
  • Johor Bahru, Malaysia, 81100
    • Hospital Sultan Ismail
  • Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 50586
    • Hospital Kuala Lumpur
  • Kuala Selangor, Malaysia, 68100
    • Hospital Selayang
  • Muar town, Malaysia, 84000
    • Hospital Pakar Sultanah Fatimah
  • Negeri Perak/Ipoh, Malaysia, 30450
    • Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun
  • Pulau Pinang, Malaysia, 10990
    • Hospital Pulau Pinang
• Singapore
  • Singapore, Singapore, 119074
    • National University Hospital
• South Korea
  • Seoul, South Korea, 03722
    • Severance Hospital
• Switzerland
  • Lausanne, Switzerland, 1011
    • University Hospital of Lausanne
• Taiwan
  • Taipei, Taiwan, 10016
    • National Taiwan University Hospital
• Thailand
  • Ratchatewi, Bangkok, Thailand, 10400
    • Ramathibodi Hospital
• Tunisia
  • Sousse, Tunisia, 4000
    • Farhat Hached Hospital
  • Tunis, Tunisia, 1007
    • La Rabta Hospital
  • Tunisia, Tunisia, 1053
    • Hedi Chaker Hospital, Department of Dermatology
• United States
  • Alabama
    • Birmingham, Alabama, United States, 35233
      • University of Alabama at Birmingham
  • Florida
    • Miami, Florida, United States, 33125
      • University of Miami
    • Tampa, Florida, United States, 33612
      • University of South Florida
  • New York
    • New York, New York, United States, 10029
      • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years to 71 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients with GPPGA of 0 or 1 and a known and documented history of GPP per European Rare And Severe Psoriasis Expert Network (ERASPEN) criteria regardless of IL36RN mutation status, with previous evidence of fever, and/or asthenia, and/or myalgia, and/or elevated C-reactive protein, and/or leucocytosis with peripheral blood neutrophilia (above ULN) OR

  -- Patients with an acute flare of moderate to severe intensity meeting the (ERASPEN) criteria of GPP with a known and documented history of GPP (per ERASPEN criteria) regardless of IL36RN mutation status, with previous evidence of fever, and/or asthenia, and/or myalgia, and/or elevated C-reactive protein, and/or leucocytosis with peripheral blood neutrophilia (above ULN)

• Male or female patients, aged 18 to 75 years at screening.
• Signed and dated written informed consent prior to admission to the study in accordance with ICH GCP and local legislation prior to start of any screening procedures.
• Women of childbearing potential must be ready and able to use highly effective methods of birth control per ICH M3 (R2) that result in a low failure rate of less than 1% per year when used consistently and correctly. Note: A woman is considered of childbearing potential, i.e. fertile, following menarche and until becoming postmenopausal unless permanently sterile. Permanent sterilisation methods include hysterectomy, bilateral salpingectomy and bilateral oophorectomy. Tubal ligation is not a method of permanent sterilization. A postmenopausal state is defined as no menses for 12 months without an alternative medical cause
• Further inclusion criteria apply

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with SAPHO (Synovitis-acne-pustulosis-hyperostosis-osteitis) syndrome.
• Patients with primary erythrodermic psoriasis vulgaris.
• Patients with primary plaque psoriasis vulgaris without presence of pustules or with pustules that are restricted to psoriatic plaques.
• Drug-triggered Acute Generalized Exanthematous Pustulosis (AGEP).
• Immediate life-threatening flare of GPP or requiring intensive care treatment, according to the investigator's judgement. Life-threatening complications mainly include, but are not limited to, cardiovascular/cytokine driven shock, pulmonary distress syndrome, or renal failure.
• Severe, progressive, or uncontrolled hepatic disease, defined as >3- fold Upper Limit of Normal (ULN) elevation in AST or ALT or alkaline phosphatase, or >2-fold ULN elevation in total bilirubin.
• Further exclusion criteria apply

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Double

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Placebo	Drug: Placebo; Solution for infusion
Experimental: Spesolimab	Drug: Spesolimab; Solution for infusion; Other Names: BI 655130

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Proportion of Patients With a Generalized Pustular Psoriasis Physician Global Assessment (GPPGA) Pustulation Subscore of 0 Indicating no Visible Pustules at Week 1	The Generalized Pustular Psoriasis Physician Global Assessment (GPPGA) relies on clinical assessment of the Generalized Pustular Psoriasis (GPP) patient's skin presentation. The investigator (or qualified site personnel) scored the erythema, pustules, and scaling of all GPP lesions from 0 to 4. The GPPGA pustulation subscore ranges from 0 to 4 where: 0 = clear; = almost clear;; = mild:; = moderate;; = severe. A lower GPPGA pustulation subscore indicates a better outcome. A GPPGA pustulation subscore of 0 means no visible pustules. The proportion of patients who achieved a GPPGA pustulation subscore of 0 at Week 1 is reported.	At Week 1.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Key Secondary: Proportion of Patients With a Generalized Pustular Psoriasis Physician Global Assessment (GPPGA) Score of 0 or 1 at Week 1	GPPGA relied on clinical assessment of the Generalized Pustular Psoriasis (GPP) patient's skin presentation. The GPPGA total score was calculated by taking the mean of the erythema subscore, pustules subscore and scaling/crusting subscore. The severity of each subscore was assessed using a 5 point scale score ranging from 0 to 4 (0=clear, 1=almost clear, 2=mild, 3=moderate, 4=severe). The final GPPGA score is assigned as follows: 0, if scores for all three subscores are 0,; 1, if 0 < mean < 1.5,; 2, if 1.5 ≤ mean < 2.5,; 3, if 2.5 ≤ mean < 3.5,; 4, if mean ≥ 3.5. A lower GPPGA score indicates a better outcome, with 0 being clear and 1 being almost clear. The proportion of patients with a GPPGA score of 0 or 1 at Week 1 is reported.	At Week 1.
Proportion of Patients With a Psoriasis Area and Severity Index for Generalized Pustular Psoriasis (GPPASI) 75 at Week 4	Generalized Pustular Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (GPPASI) provides a numeric scoring for a patient's overall Generalized Pustular Psoriasis (GPP) disease state, ranging from 0 to 72. It is a linear combination of percent of surface area of skin affected by erythema, pustules, and scaling and the severity of erythema, pustules, and scaling (desquamation) over 4 body regions (head, trunk, upper limbs and lower limbs). A higher score indicates a worse disease state, while a score of 0 indicates no disease. GPPASI 75 is based on the percent reduction from baseline, generally summarized as a dichotomous outcome based on achieving over an 75% reduction. Proportion of patients with GPPASI 75 at Week 4 is reported.	At Week 4.
Change From Baseline in Pain Visual Analog Scale (VAS) Score at Week 4	The pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) is a participant-administered single-item scale designed to measure skin pain intensity from generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) using a 100 millimeter (mm) horizontal VAS. Overall severity of participant's skin pain from GPP is indicated by placing a single mark on the horizontal 100 mm scale from 0 mm (no pain) to 100 mm (pain as bad as one can imagine). Change from baseline was calculated by subtracting the VAS score at baseline from the VAS score at Week 4. A negative change indicates an improvement from baseline. Death, any use of escape medication, OL Spesolimab at Day 8, or rescue medication with Spesolimab after Day 8, prior to observing the endpoint was considered to reflect a failure to achieve the endpoint outcome, i.e. non-response (NR). NR is not a missing value but the worst possible outcome of the endpoint. For example, if the achieved data is (NR, NR, NR, NR, NR, NR, 2, 3, 3, 3, 5) then Q1 is NR, median is NR and Q3 is 3.	Baseline and at Week 4.
Change From Baseline in Psoriasis Symptom Scale (PSS) Score at Week 4	PSS is a 4-item patient-reported outcome instrument that assesses the severity of psoriasis symptoms in moderate to severe psoriasis patients. The symptoms included are: pain, redness, itching, and burning. The symptom severity was assessed using a 5 point scale ranging from 0 to 4 where 0=none, 1=mild, 2=moderate, 3=severe, 4=very severe. The symptom scores are added to an unweighted total score (range: 0 to 16). A lower PSS score indicates a better outcome. Change from baseline =PSS score at Week 4 - PSS score at baseline. Death, any use of escape medication, OL Spesolimab at Day 8, or rescue medication with Spesolimab after Day 8, prior to observing the endpoint was considered to reflect a failure to achieve the endpoint outcome, i.e. non-response (NR). NR is not a missing value but the worst possible outcome of the endpoint. For example, if the achieved data is (NR, NR, NR, NR, NR, NR, 2, 3, 3, 3, 5) then Q1 is NR, median is NR and Q3 is 3.	Baseline and at Week 4.
Change From Baseline in Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) - Fatigue Score at Week 4	The FACIT-Fatigue is a 13-item questionnaire that assesses self-reported fatigue and its impact upon daily activities and function. Each items is scored from 0 to 4. Score range is 0 (extreme fatigue)-52 (no fatigue). Change from baseline=FACIT Fatigue score at Week 4- FACIT-Fatigue score at baseline. Death, any use of escape medication, OL Spesolimab at Day 8, or rescue medication with Spesolimab after Day 8, prior to observing the endpoint was considered to reflect a failure to achieve the endpoint outcome, i.e. non-response (NR). NR is not a missing value but the worst possible outcome of the endpoint. For example, if the achieved data is s (NR, NR, NR, NR, NR, NR, 2, 3, 3, 3, 5) then Q1 is NR, median is NR and Q3 is 3.	Baseline and at Week 4.
Proportion of Patients With a Generalized Pustular Psoriasis Physician Global Assessment (GPPGA) Score of 0 or 1 at Week 4	GPPGA relied on clinical assessment of the Generalized Pustular Psoriasis (GPP) patient's skin presentation. The GPPGA total score is calculated by taking the mean of the erythema subscore, pustules subscore and scaling/crusting subscore. The severity of each subscore was assessed using a 5 point scale score ranging from 0 to 4 (0=clear, 1=almost clear, 2=mild, 3=moderate, 4=severe). The final GPPGA score is assigned as follows: 0, if scores for all three scores are 0,; 1, if 0 < mean < 1.5,; 2, if 1.5 ≤ mean < 2.5,; 3, if 2.5 ≤ mean < 3.5,; 4, if mean ≥ 3.5. A lower GPPGA score indicates a better outcome, with 0 being clear and 1 being almost clear. The proportion of participants with a GPPGA score of 0 or 1 at Week 4 is reported.	At Week 4.
Proportion of Patients With a Generalized Pustular Psoriasis Physician Global Assessment (GPPGA) Pustulation Sub-score of 0 Indicating no Visible Pustules at Week 4	The Generalized Pustular Psoriasis Physician Global Assessment (GPPGA) relies on clinical assessment of the Generalized Pustular Psoriasis (GPP) patient's skin presentation. The investigator (or qualified site personnel) scores the erythema, pustules, and scaling of all GPP lesions from 0 to 4. The GPPGA pustulation subscore ranges from 0 to 4 where: 0 = clear; = almost clear;; = mild:; = moderate;; = severe. A lower GPPGA pustulation subscore indicates a better outcome. The proportion of patients who achieved a GPPGA pustulation subscore of 0 at Week 1 is reported.	At Week 4.
Proportion of Patients With a Generalized Pustular Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (GPPASI) 50 at Week 4	Generalized Pustular Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (GPPASI) provides a numeric scoring for a patient's overall Generalized Pustular Psoriasis (GPP) disease state, ranging from 0 to 72. It is a linear combination of percent of surface area of skin affected by erythema, pustules, and scaling and the severity of erythema, pustules, and scaling (desquamation) over 4 body regions (head, trunk, upper limbs and lower limbs). A higher score indicates a worse disease state, while a score of 0 indicates no disease. GPPASI 50 is based on the percent reduction from baseline, generally summarized as a dichotomous outcome based on achieving over an 50 % reduction. Proportion of patients with GPPASI 50 at Week 4 is reported.	At Week 4.
Percent Change in Generalized Pustular Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (GPPASI) From Baseline at Week 4	GPPASI provides a numeric scoring for a patient's overall Generalized Pustular Psoriasis (GPP) disease state, ranging from 0 (no disease) to 72 (worse disease state). It is a linear combination of percent of surface area of skin affected by erythema, pustules, and scaling and the severity of erythema, pustules, and scaling (desquamation) over 4 body regions (head, trunk, upper limbs and lower limbs). %GPPASI change from baseline=(GPPASI at Week 4-GPPASI at baseline) *100/(GPPASI at baseline). Death, any use of escape medication, OL Spesolimab at Day 8, or rescue medication with Spesolimab after Day 8, prior to observing the endpoint was considered to reflect a failure to achieve the endpoint outcome, i.e. non-response (NR).NR is not a missing value but the worst possible outcome of the endpoint. For example, if the achieved data is (NR, NR, NR, NR, NR, NR, 2, 3, 3, 3, 5) then Q1 is NR, median is NR and Q3 is 3. Planned statistical analysis were not performed due to lack of valid data.	Baseline and at Week 4.
Proportion of Patients With a Generalized Pustular Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (GPPASI) 50 at Week 1	Generalized Pustular Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (GPPASI) provides a numeric scoring for a patient's overall Generalized Pustular Psoriasis (GPP) disease state, ranging from 0 to 72. It is a linear combination of percent of surface area of skin affected by erythema, pustules, and scaling and the severity of erythema, pustules, and scaling (desquamation) over 4 body regions (head, trunk, upper limbs and lower limbs). A higher score indicates a worse disease state, while a score of 0 indicates no disease. GPPASI 50 is based on the percent reduction from baseline, generally summarized as a dichotomous outcome based on achieving over an 50 % reduction. Proportion of patients with GPPASI 50 at Week 1 is reported.	At Week 1.
Percent Change in Generalized Pustular Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (GPPASI) From Baseline at Week 1	Generalized Pustular Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (GPPASI) provides a numeric scoring for a patient's overall Generalized Pustular Psoriasis (GPP) disease state, ranging from 0 to 72. It is a linear combination of percent of surface area of skin affected by erythema, pustules, and scaling and the severity of erythema, pustules, and scaling (desquamation) over 4 body regions (head, trunk, upper limbs and lower limbs). A higher score indicates a worse disease state, while a score of 0 indicates no disease. The percent change from baseline at Week 1 is calculated as: % GPPASI change from baseline = (GPPASI at Week 1 - GPPASI at baseline) *100/GPPASI at baseline. If % GPPASI change from baseline is positive, it means the disease is becoming worse.	At Week 1.
Occurrence of Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs) up to Week 1	TEAEs were all Adverse Events (AEs) occurring between start of treatment and Day 8 (Day 8 excluded). AEs that started before first drug intake and deteriorated under treatment were also considered as 'treatment-emergent'. The exposure-adjusted incidence rate was calculated as: Incidence rate [1/100 patients-years] = 100 × number of patients with AE / Total AE specific time at risk [patient-years] where: Time at risk [patient-years] = (date of onset of TEAE - study drug start date + 1) /365.25	From start of treatment until Day 7, up to 7 days.
Number of Patients With Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs) up to Week 1	TEAEs were all Adverse Events (AEs) occurring between start of treatment and Day 8 (Day 8 excluded). AEs that started before first drug intake and deteriorated under treatment were also considered as 'treatment-emergent'.	From start of treatment until Day 7, up to 7 days.
Occurrence of Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs) Within the Treatment Phase	TEAEs were all Adverse Events (AEs) occurring between start of treatment and end of the residual effect period (REP) (16 weeks). AEs that started before first drug intake and deteriorated under treatment were also considered as 'treatment-emergent'. The exposure-adjusted incidence rate was calculated as: Incidence rate [1/100 patients-years] = 100 × number of patients with AE / Total AE specific time at risk [patient-years] where Time at risk where: Time at risk [patient-years] = (date of onset of TEAE - study drug start date + 1) /365.25 If, for a patient, the selected TEAE did not occur then the time at risk was censored at min; Date of death; For patients who did not roll over into the Open Label Extension (OLE) study: last contact date Visit14/15; For patients who rolled over into the OLE study: the 1st dose in the OLE study; Drug stop date + 112 days; Date of Day 8 if OL spesolimab was given; Date of rescue medication if spesolimab was given.	From start of treatment until end of the residual effect period (REP) but censored at any use of open label spesolimab, up to 16 weeks.
Number of Patients With Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs) Within the Treatment Phase	TEAEs were all Adverse Events (AEs) occurring between start of treatment and end of the residual effect period (REP) (16 weeks). AEs that started before first drug intake and deteriorated under treatment were also considered as 'treatment-emergent'.	From start of treatment until end of the residual effect period (REP) but censored at any use of open label spesolimab, up to 16 weeks.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Boehringer Ingelheim

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Bachelez H, Choon SE, Marrakchi S, Burden AD, Tsai TF, Morita A, Navarini AA, Zheng M, Xu J, Turki H, Anadkat MJ, Rajeswari S, Hua H, Vulcu SD, Hall D, Tetzlaff K, Thoma C, Lebwohl MG; Effisayil 1 Trial Investigators. Trial of Spesolimab for Generalized Pustular Psoriasis. N Engl J Med. 2021 Dec 23;385(26):2431-2440. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2111563.
• Choon SE, Lebwohl MG, Marrakchi S, Burden AD, Tsai TF, Morita A, Navarini AA, Zheng M, Xu J, Turki H, Rajeswari S, Deng H, Tetzlaff K, Thoma C, Bachelez H. Study protocol of the global Effisayil 1 Phase II, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of spesolimab in patients with generalized pustular psoriasis presenting with an acute flare. BMJ Open. 2021 Mar 30;11(3):e043666. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043666.
• Lebwohl MG, Thoma C, Haeufel T. Spesolimab use in generalised pustular psoriasis flares - Authors' reply. Lancet. 2024 Aug 31;404(10455):847-848. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)01557-5. No abstract available.
• Gwillim EC, Nichols AJ. Spesolimab for generalized pustular psoriasis: a review of two key clinical trials supporting initial US regulatory approval. Front Immunol. 2024 Jul 22;15:1359481. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1359481. eCollection 2024.
• Tsai TF, Zheng M, Ding Y, Song Z, Liu Q, Chen Y, Hu H, Xu J. Efficacy and Safety of Spesolimab in Patients with Generalized Pustular Psoriasis: A Subgroup Analysis of Chinese Patients in the Effisayil 1 Trial. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2023 Dec;13(12):3097-3110. doi: 10.1007/s13555-023-01037-4. Epub 2023 Oct 16.

Helpful Links

• Related Info

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 31, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 23, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): January 5, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 19, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 19, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): December 20, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): October 16, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 8, 2025
• Last Verified: October 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Skin Diseases, Papulosquamous; Skin Diseases; Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases; Psoriasis; spesolimab
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1368-0013; 2017-004231-37 (EudraCT Number)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

IPD Plan Description

Clinical studies sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, phases I to IV, interventional and non-interventional, are in scope for sharing of the raw clinical study data and clinical study documents. Exceptions might apply, e.g. studies in products where Boehringer Ingelheim is not the license holder; studies regarding pharmaceutical formulations and associated analytical methods, and studies pertinent to pharmacokinetics using human biomaterials; studies conducted in a single center or targeting rare diseases (in case of low number of patients and therefore limitations with anonymization).

For more details refer to: https://www.mystudywindow.com/msw/datatransparency

• IPD Sharing Time Frame: After all regulatory activities are completed in the US and EU for the product and indication, and after the primary manuscript has been accepted for publication.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: For study documents - upon signing of a 'Document Sharing Agreement'. For study data - 1. after the submission and approval of the research proposal (checks will be performed by both the independent review panel and the sponsor, including checking that the planned analysis does not compete with sponsor's publication plan); 2. and upon signing of a 'Data Sharing Agreement'.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: Study Protocol; Statistical Analysis Plan (SAP); Clinical Study Report (CSR)

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: Yes
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No