Takeda sharpens psoriasis pitch as oral drug race intensifies

Japanese drugmaker Takeda (TYO: 4502) has set out fuller Phase III data on zasocitinib, its once-daily oral TYK2 inhibitor for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, bolstering a medicine it sees as one of its bigger inflammation growth plays.

Presented at the American Academy of Dermatology meeting, the new dataset showed zasocitinib beat placebo and Amgen’s (Nasdaq: AMGN) Otezla (apremilast) on key skin clearance measures at week 16. Takeda also said responses continued to deepen through week 24 and remained durable in patients who stayed on treatment longer term.