J&J Posts More Promising Late-Stage Data for Psoriasis Drug

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) released more positive data regarding its potential blockbuster psoriasis treatment guselkumab.

The company reported results from two Phase 3 studies called VOYAGE 2 and NAVIGATE respectively.

Both investigations involved individuals with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, but VOYAGE 2 focused on continued testing of guselkumab against rival therapy Humira whereas NAVIGATE evaluated guselkumab’s impact on patients who had an inadequate response after undergoing treatment with Stelara.

Guselkumab yielded a strong efficacy and safety profile compared to placebo and Humira, according to findings from the VOYAGE 2 analysis.

About 84 percent of patients taking J&J’s drug experienced significant improvements in complete or near complete skin clearance versus 67 percent taking Humira and 8.5 percent receiving the placebo.

A small percentage of patients in each group reported serious adverse side effects, but the percentage was higher in the group taking Humira.

Furthermore, the goal of the NAVIGATE trial was to test guselkumab’s treatment capabilities on patients who continued to suffer from mild to severe skin symptoms after 16 weeks of taking Stelara.

Outcomes from this particular study illustrated a consistent improvement for psoriasis patients taking guselkumab between weeks 28 and 40 during the study whereas individuals continuing to take Stelara attended twice as many office visits as their counterparts in the other arm of the trial.

Next steps for the company will entail gathering more data with extension studies aimed at assessing guselkumab’s long term efficacy, reported Endpoints News.

Detailed information regarding these trials will be presented at the annual Academy of Dermatology Meeting in Orlando, Florida over the weekend.