Does guselkumab (Tenoya) require lifelong injections and long-term use?

Guselkumab (Guselkumab) is a monoclonal antibody targeting IL-23 and is mainly used for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Its mechanism of action is to reduce the release of inflammatory factors by inhibiting the IL-23 signaling pathway, thereby improving skin lesions and controlling psoriasis activity. Since psoriasis is a chronic, relapsing disease, the principles for the use of guselkumab are also closely related to the long-term management of the disease.

Clinical studies show that guselkumab is usually injected every 4 weeks or every 8 weeks in the initial treatment phase to control rash and inflammatory reactions as soon as possible. After achieving a stable therapeutic effect, some patients can extend the injection interval to maintain stable disease. This method of administration shows that the use of guselkumab is not a one-time treatment, but requires long-term maintenance based on the patient's condition and efficacy. Some patients may require continuous medication to prevent recurrence.

Whether lifelong injections are required depends on the individual condition and maintenance of efficacy. For patients whose disease is relatively stable and whose recurrence rate is low during the maintenance treatment phase, doctors may evaluate gradually extending the dosing interval, or even try to discontinue the drug for observation in some cases. However, most patients still need to use it long-term to maintain the skin improvement effect, because once the drug is stopped, psoriasis symptoms may reappear. There is no clear clinical evidence that the drug can be completely discontinued without recurrence, so "lifelong injection" depends to a certain extent on the chronic characteristics of the disease and the patient's individualized plan.

Overall, guselkumab is a chronic disease management drug that requires long-term and possibly lifelong injections to maintain its efficacy. Patients should follow up regularly during use, evaluate skin improvement and potential adverse reactions, and adjust the injection interval and dosage based on the guidance of a doctor. Through standardized long-term management, guselkumab can effectively control psoriasis activity, improve patients' quality of life, and reduce the risk of disease recurrence.

Reference materials:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6680254/