Oral Psoriasis Treatment Shows High Efficacy in Late-Stage Trials
CHICAGO – A new oral treatment for moderate to severe psoriasis, the IL-23 antagonist icotrokinra, has demonstrated remarkably high efficacy in Phase 3 clinical trials, offering a potential option to existing injectable and infusion-based therapies. Results presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology and published in the New England Journal of Medicine and NEJM Evidence show nearly complete skin clearing in half of patients treated with icotrokinra within weeks.
Psoriasis affects over 125 million people worldwide, significantly impacting quality of life and frequently enough requiring systemic treatments with considerable logistical burdens. Current IL-23 therapies are highly effective but typically require administration by injection or infusion. the availability of an oral IL-23 antagonist like icotrokinra could dramatically improve treatment adherence and accessibility for patients. The ICONIC-LEAD and ICONIC-TOTAL studies, detailed in the NEJM publications (DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2504187 and 10.1056/EVIDoa2500155 respectively), indicate icotrokinra effectively resolves lesions not only on typical psoriasis areas but also on the scalp, genitals, hands, and feet.
