MANY MINDEDInnoCare's psoriasis pill passes late-stage test in China
InnoCare Pharma, based in Beijing, said on Monday that its oral drug fadeucravacitinib (also called ICP-488) met the primary endpoint of a phase 3 trial in adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, conducted in Chinese adults, also met multiple secondary endpoints. The company described a favorable safety profile but did not disclose the underlying efficacy or safety figures.
The drug is a TYK2 inhibitor, blocking signaling by inflammatory cytokines including IL-23, IL-12 and type 1 interferon. It targets the same pathway as Bristol Myers Squibb's Sotyktu and Takeda's zasocitinib. Earlier phase 2 results from October 2024 showed 77.3% and 78.6% of patients in two dose groups reached at least 75% skin improvement by week 12, against 11.6% on placebo.
Psoriasis is a chronic condition affecting an estimated 125 million people worldwide, including about 8.66 million in China. Many existing advanced treatments are injected biologics. A convenient daily pill that works on the same inflammatory pathway could widen access and lower the practical burden of long-term treatment, particularly if it competes on price in large markets.
InnoCare plans to complete the phase 3 study, including long-term safety follow-up, before filing for regulatory approval. Caveats are real: detailed data have not been released, fadeucravacitinib has not been compared head-to-head with Sotyktu, and full results await a future scientific meeting. Approval, pricing and availability remain some distance off.
Source: Fierce Biotech