Lilly's Psoriasis Drug Found Superior To J&J's Tremfya In Phase 4 Study

Eli Lilly And Co LLY reported positive data for its plaque psoriasis drug Tuesday in a head-to-head comparison study with Johnson & Johnson JNJ's Janssen unit's Tremfya.

What Happened

Lilly said Tuesday ahead of the market open that Talz, a monoclonal antibody that selectively binds with interleukin 17A (IL-17A) cytokine, met the primary and all major secondary endpoints up to 12 weeks in the Phase 4 IXORA-R study.

Taltz has been approved for treating adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy, and also for adults with psoriatic arthritis.

The IXORA-R trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of Taltz versus Janssen's Tremfya — an IL-23/P19 inhibitor — in people living with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, with a Psoriasis Area Severity Index, or PASI, 100 score as the primary endpoint.

Taltz showed superiority to Tremfya in the proportion of patients achieving complete skin clearance, according to Lilly.

The company said Taltz also met all major secondary endpoints up to week 12.

Why It's Important

Dermatologists aim for complete clear skin and rapid symptom relief.

The head-to-head data provides information for individual treatment goal discussions between health care providers and their patients, Andrew Blauvelt, M.D., a dermatologist and president of the Oregon Medical Research Center, said in a statement. 

Lilly said it plans to submit detailed data from the study for presentations at future scientific meetings and peer-reviewed journals.

Lilly shares were up 1.6% at $115.47 at the time of publication Tuesday. 

Related Links:

The Week Ahead In Biotech: Vanda Awaits FDA Decision, BioVie Plans IPO

Axovant Analyst Turns Bullish Ahead Of Q4 Gene Therapy Data Readouts