JNJ-2113 Shows Promising Response Rates Compared With Competitor Oral Therapies for Psoriasis

In the phase 2b FRONTIER 2 clinical trial (NCT05364554), JNJ-2113—the first and only investigational targeted oral peptide designed to block the interleukin-23 (IL-23) receptor to treat patients with plaque psoriasis—showed promising efficacy compared with the most commonly prescribed oral psoriasis drug on the market, said Laura Ferris, MD, PhD, professor of dermatology, University of Pittsburgh. However, head-to-head trials are needed to draw efficacy comparisons between JNJ-2113 and other agents.

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Were there any notable adverse events or safety concerns observed during the trial, particularly over the 52-week treatment period?

One of the impressive things about this molecule was the lack of safety signals. So, we saw a safety profile that was pretty consistent with what we see with the IL-23 [interleukin-23] inhibitor biologics.

In this study, 59% of patients had 1 or more adverse events; that is pretty consistent with what we would expect over a year. The most commonly reported adverse events were upper respiratory infections, nasal pharyngitis, and COVID-19. There really were no safety signals that we're seeing, like inflammatory bowel disease or depression. There really weren't unusual infections. There were no sort of dose-dependent safety events, so there weren't things that we started to see more of, for example, in the higher dosing arms.

How do the response rates observed with JNJ-2113 compare with existing treatments for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis?

Comparing JNJ-2113 efficacy to some of the other drugs on the market; very importantly, we really can't compare across 2 different trials, we really should only compare things when we have a head-to-head study. But we can look at, for example, PASI 100 [Psoriasis Area Severity Index] responses. So, for this drug, JNJ-2113, 40% of patients had a PASI 100 response. If we look at Skyrizi [risankizumab-rzaa], which is an injectable biologic, that number is about 60%.

If we look at Otezla [apremilast], another oral agent which is on the market, we can look at PASI 75 responses there, and 33% of patients had a PASI 75 response on Otezla. So, we can see superior efficacy in this oral drug as compared to the most commonly prescribed oral drug for psoriasis in the market, currently.