War Against HS

New data presented by UCB at the European Hidradenitis Suppurativa Foundation (EHSF) conference reveal that bimekizumab (BIMZELX®), a dual interleukin-17A and 17F inhibitor, demonstrated substantial and sustained improvements in people with moderate to severe HS over three years. The BE HEARD trials showed that 40.1% of participants achieved total resolution of inflammatory HS lesions, including draining tunnels, at three years (IHS4-100). Additionally, 59.1% and 77.4% reached IHS4-90 and IHS4-75 response levels, respectively. Importantly, the proportion of patients classified with severe HS dropped dramatically from 87.4% at baseline to just 14.7% after three years. Over half (59.4%) of participants improved to mild disease status by IHS4 assessment.

This Week in HS: Oral Treatment Advances, Gut-Skin Science, and a Deepening Pipeline

The week of March 10, 2026 brought several meaningful developments across the Hidradenitis Suppurativa research and treatment landscape. The most significant story continues to be the regulatory progression of povorcitinib, Incyte's oral JAK1 inhibitor, which is now the closest any oral HS therapy has ever come to approval. Alongside that headline, new research on the gut-skin microbiome axis has added further scientific weight to the idea that what happens in the gut may profoundly influence what happens in HS lesions. And the pipeline continues to deepen, with multiple Phase 2 programs advancing toward data readouts later this year.