Deucravacitinib shows superiority to placebo, apremilast in treating psoriasis

Deucravacitinib improved psoriasis compared with placebo and apremilast in a phase 3 study, Bristol Myers Squibb announced in a press release.

The global phase 3 POETYK PSO-1 and POETYK PSO-2 studies evaluated deucravacitinib 6 mg, an oral, selective tyrosine kinase 2 inhibitor, in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

The first study enrolled 666 patients, while the second enrolled 1,020. Both multicenter, randomized, double-blind trials compared the drug, taken once daily, with placebo and 30 mg twice-daily Otezla (apremilast, Amgen).

After 16 weeks of treatment in the POETYK PSO-2 study, significantly more patients on deucravacitinib had at least a 75% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index and a static Physician’s Global Assessment score of clear or almost clear compared with those on placebo, the release said.

Those treated with deucravacitinib also showed superior improvement in PASI 75 and sPGA compared with those on apremilast.

“The encouraging data we have seen to date suggest deucravacitinib may become an important oral treatment option for people living with psoriasis. We look forward to discussing the results from the POETYK PSO-1 and POETYK PSO-2 registrational studies with health authorities, with the goal of offering this novel therapy to those suffering from this serious disease as soon as possible,” Samit Hirawat, MD, executive vice president and chief medical officer of global development at Bristol Myers Squibb, said in the release.