The FDA has approved deucravacitinib (SOTYKTU) for the treatment of adults with active psoriatic arthritis, expanding its role beyond plaque psoriasis and into joint disease.  

Clinical trial insights  

The approval is based on results from the Phase 3 POETYK PsA-1 and PsA-2 trials, where 54% of patients treated with once-daily deucravacitinib achieved an ACR20 response at Week 16, compared with 34% and 39% of those receiving placebo. Improvements were also observed across higher thresholds of response and measures of minimal disease activity.  

This marks the first approval of a TYK2 inhibitor for psoriatic arthritis, introducing an oral option that targets pathways involved in both skin and joint disease.  

Safety profile

The safety profile observed in patients with psoriatic arthritis was generally consistent with what has been seen in plaque psoriasis, with common adverse reactions including upper respiratory infections, creatine phosphokinase elevations, herpes simplex, mouth ulcers, folliculitis, and acne. 

Implications for clinical practice

An oral therapy with evidence across both skin and joint disease begins to shift how these patients are identified and managed. For clinicians, that may mean asking different questions in the dermatology visit, considering systemic therapy earlier, and approaching patients who fall between skin-limited disease and more overt joint involvement with a broader lens.