Takeda's TYK2 drug bests BMS's Sotyktu in psoriasis contest

Takeda has issued a challenge to Bristol Myers Squibb after reporting top-line results from a head-to-head psoriasis study, which showed its TYK2 inhibitor zasocitinib was more effective than BMS's first-to-market Sotyktu.

Zasocitinib – which is billed by Takeda as a second-generation TYK2 inhibitor – was more effective than Sotyktu (deucravacitinib) at achieving complete skin clearance – a PASI 100 response – in adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in the LATITUDE Atlas study.

The result builds on the results in two placebo-controlled trials in the LATITUDE programme, reported in December, which showed strong efficacy in moderate-to-severe psoriasis, with around a third of patients achieving a PASI 100 result at 16 weeks.

Similar efficacy was seen in LATITUDE Atlas, with 35% of zasocitinib-treated patients achieving PASI 100 at week 16, which Takeda said was more than 2.5 times the response rate seen with Sotyktu, with the separation between the two drugs apparent from around week eight.

The experimental drug outperformed its rival on all key secondary endpoints, according to the Japanese pharma group, including the PASI 90 response on the Static Physician's Global Assessment (sPGA) scale, by the end of the follow-up period.

The efficacy was achieved with once-daily dosing, the same frequency as Sotyktu, although Takeda maintains that its drug achieves full TYK2 inhibition over 24 hours, which could explain the difference in efficacy.

Lead investigator Linda Stein Gold of Henry Ford Health in the US said the data show that zasocitinib "clearly demonstrated superior skin clearance compared with deucravacitinib, highlighting clinically meaningful differences within the oral treatment class."

She added: "As expectations for oral therapies continue to rise, these findings support the potential of zasocitinib to help transform what patients and physicians can expect from an oral option in plaque psoriasis."

Zasocitinib has been pitched as one of the top growth prospects for Takeda, with potential across a range of inflammatory indications, including psoriatic arthritis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, vitiligo, and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS).

It is one of three priority programmes at the company, along with oveporexton for narcolepsy and polycythemia vera candidate rusfertide, which are both under review by the FDA. It is planning to file for approval of zasocitinib "starting this fiscal year."

BMS had blockbuster expectations for Sotyktu when it was first launched for plaque psoriasis in 2022, but sales have been slow to gather momentum, reaching just $291 million worldwide last year. The company is hoping for a fresh injection of momentum following the drug's approval for a second indication – psoriatic arthritis – in March.