For patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, the oral, selective, tyrosine kinase 2 inhibitor deucravacitinib is effective and well tolerated, according to a study published online July 8 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology .

April W. Armstrong, M.D., M.P.H., from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and colleagues compared the efficacy and safety of deucravacitinib versus placebo and apremilast in adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Participants were randomly assigned to receive deucravacitinib, placebo, or apremilast (332, 166, and 168 patients, respectively) in the 52-week phase 3 trial.

The researchers found that for deucravacitinib versus placebo or apremilast, the response rates were significantly higher for ≥75 percent reduction from baseline in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (58.4 percent versus 12.7 and 35.1 percent, respectively) and for the static Physician's Global Assessment score of 0 or 1 (53.6 percent versus 7.2 and 32.1 percent, respectively) at week 16. Beyond week 16, efficacy improved and was maintained through 52 weeks. Similar adverse event rates were seen with deucravacitinib versus placebo and apremilast.

"These data highlight the potential for deucravacitinib, a once-daily oral drug, to reduce disease activity and improve symptoms and quality of life among patients who require systemic therapy for psoriasis," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, including Bristol Myers Squibb, which manufactures deucravacitinib and funded the clinical trial.

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