J&J’s Investigational Plaque Psoriasis Drug Outperforms Bristol Myers’ Sotyktu In Study

Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) said on Wednesday that its drug Icotrokinra showed superiority to Bristol Myers Squibb’s Deucravacitinib in head-to-head trials in the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

Plaque psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated disease characterized by the overproduction of skin cells, resulting in inflamed, scaly plaques that may be itchy or painful. According to Johnson & Johnson, an estimated eight million Americans live with the disease.

Icotrokinra demonstrated superior skin clearance at weeks 16 and 24 compared to Deucravacitinib in a late-stage study, the company stated. Icotrokinra also showed sustained skin clearance and a favorable safety profile in both adults and adolescents at week 52 in the study, it added.

The drug demonstrated similar adverse event rates (AEs) to those of the placebo, and Icotrokinra's adverse event rates were numerically lower compared to Deucravacitinib through week 24, the company stated. Deucravacitinib is marketed as Sotyktu by Bristol Myers.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around JNJ stock rose from ‘bearish’ to ‘neutral’ territory over the past 24 hours, while message volume stayed at ‘normal’ levels.

A Stocktwits user highlighted that the stock has been holding the $174-$180 range.

“These head-to-head data clearly demonstrate superior complete skin clearance rates for icotrokinra compared to deucravacitinib,” said Linda Stein Gold, a study investigator. “With significantly higher response rates seen as early as Week 16 and increasing at Week 24, this novel targeted oral peptide treatment has the potential to be an appealing new option for patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.”

Johnson & Johnson also announced that it has initiated a new late-stage study, aiming to demonstrate the superiority of Icotrokinra compared to the company’s injectable biologic, Ustekinumab, in the treatment of psoriasis.

Icotrokinra is the result of a license and collaboration agreement established between Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc. and Janssen Biotech, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson company, in 2017.

Separately, JPMorgan raised its price target on Johnson & Johnson to $195 from $185 on Tuesday, while maintaining a ‘Neutral’ rating on the shares.

JNJ stock is up by 22% this year and by about 6% over the past 12 months. 

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