UK approves J&J's oral psoriasis pill
JNJ•Britain approved Johnson & Johnson's Icotyde pill for adults and teenagers aged 12 and older who weigh at least 40 kg and have moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. The approval followed four late-stage trials involving 2,500 people.
1. UK approval
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approved Icotyde, a daily oral drug, for people aged 12 and older who weigh at least 40 kg and have moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. In four late-stage trials involving 2,500 people, patients taking the drug saw better results after 16 weeks than those given a placebo, the regulator said; 72 participants were teenagers.
2. Development and sales
Icotyde, chemically known as icotrokinra, was approved in the United States earlier this year for the same condition, its first approved indication. Johnson & Johnson is studying the drug for ulcerative colitis, psoriatic arthritis and Crohn's disease, and expects it to bring in $5 billion in peak sales across multiple indications. The drug is made in collaboration with Protagonist Therapeutics.
