Johnson & Johnson's New Drug Trial Successful, Significant Improvement in Psoriasis Patients' Skin Condition

Johnson & Johnson announced on Monday that in a late-stage clinical trial, the company's oral drug for the treatment of specific skin conditions has achieved its primary goal of significantly improving the condition of the skin to a point where it is clear or near clear and reducing the formation of skin plaques.

The drug, icotrokinra, is a once-daily pill whose efficacy has been demonstrated in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Plaque psoriasis is a skin disease that causes dry, itchy patches of skin.

Johnson & Johnson is working to develop new treatments because its current top-selling drug, Stelara, is about to expire and a cheaper biosimilar will be available.

In the pharmaceutical industry, companies such as AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) are competing for market share in an increasingly crowded market for treatments for inflammatory diseases.

At week 16 of the trial, icotrokinra demonstrated significant skin clearance in 64.7% of patients, while a reduction in plaque severity was observed in 49.6% of subjects. That compared with 8.3 percent and 4.4 percent for the placebo group.

The drug works by targeting IL-23, a protein associated with inflammation.

Johnson & Johnson developed icotrokinra with partner Protagonist Therapeutics. Based on the trial results, Protagonist Therapeutics is now eligible for a milestone payment of up to $165 million.

Johnson & Johnson also said it plans to initiate a late-stage clinical trial of icotrokinra for psoriatic arthritis in early 2025.

In the United States, about 7.5 million people have psoriasis, and 80 to 90 percent of these cases are plaque psoriasis, the most common type of the disease.