CASE REPORT article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders : Autoimmune Disorders
Switching Secukinumab to Bimekizumab in diffuse cutaneous Systemic Sclerosis after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A Case Follow-Up
Provisionally accepted
- University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) is a heterogeneous autoimmune disease characterised by progressive skin fibrosis, vasculopathy and variable organ involvement. Our recent case report about this patient described clinical improvement under IL-17A inhibition with secukinumab for worsening of cutaneous involvement after autologous haematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. We present the extended disease course through 2025. In July 2025 the patient presented with a new flare characterised by cutaneous tightening, dysesthetic sensory symptoms and intermittent pruritus despite ongoing secukinumab therapy. Given the early signs of renewed cutaneous progression and with the aim of preventing further deterioration, treatment was switched to bimekizumab, a dual IL-17A/IL-17F inhibitor. By November 2025 the patient demonstrated resolution of cutaneous symptoms, improvement of modified Rodnan skin score and improved joint stiffness. A single adverse event was mild oral candidiasis. This case follow-up suggests that broader IL-17 pathway inhibition may represent a promising therapeutic approach for selected patients with refractory inflammatory cutaneous manifestations of dcSSc.
Keywords: Bimekizumab, diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis, IL17A/IL-17F, Interleukin-17, secukinumab, systemic sclerosis
Received: 19 Dec 2025; Accepted: 10 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Nagler, Strunz, Labinsky, Kroiß, Gernert and Schmalzing. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Lea-Kristin Nagler
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