Skyrizi (risankizumab)

What it is

Skyrizi (risankizumab) is a biologic medicine that blocks interleukin-23 (IL-23) — a protein that helps drive inflammation in the skin and joints. It is used for plaque psoriasis and for psoriatic arthritis, helping clear the skin and ease joint pain and swelling. IL-23 sits high in the chain of signals that produces psoriasis, so blocking it can shut down several inflammatory steps at once. Skyrizi is a maintenance treatment, taken on a regular, widely spaced schedule.

Before starting

Before starting, we screen for tuberculosis (TB) with a blood test, because medicines that calm the immune system can allow a sleeping TB infection to become active; treating any inactive infection first is what makes long-term treatment safe. We also review your vaccines: live vaccines should not be given while on Skyrizi, and completing needed vaccines before the first dose lets them work properly. Treatment is not started during an active infection. Tell us if you have liver disease, as liver blood tests are sometimes checked.

How it’s given

It is an injection under the skin that you can learn to give yourself at home with a pre-filled pen. After two starter doses a month apart (weeks 0 and 4), it is taken once every 12 weeks — just four doses a year. Inject into the thigh or belly, rotating sites. Keep the pen in the refrigerator in its carton, and let it warm to room temperature for 30–60 minutes before injecting so the dose is more comfortable.

What to expect

Many people see strong skin clearing by the second or third dose, with results usually judged around 3–4 months; joints improve over about 2–3 months. The most common side effects are cold symptoms and other upper respiratory infections, headache, tiredness, and soreness where the needle went in. Fungal skin infections, such as athlete’s foot, can also occur. Because part of immune defence is lowered, infections should be taken seriously — call us for fever, a lingering cough, or an infection that is not improving. Keep dosing every 12 weeks even when your skin is fully clear; the spacing only works if doses stay on time.

Everyday guidance

With only four doses a year, a calendar reminder is genuinely useful — set one when each dose is taken. If a dose is late, take it as soon as you remember, then count the next dose 12 weeks from then. Most people on Skyrizi need no routine lab monitoring. Never freeze the pen, and do not use it if it has been left in heat. Tell other clinicians you take an immune-calming biologic, and check with us about vaccines and surgery. Planning a pregnancy? Talk it through with your provider first. For questions or signs of infection, call (361) 400-7700.