Johnson & Johnson won U.S. approval for a daily psoriasis pill that rivals the benefits of injectable medicines and could roil a multibillion-dollar market.
The drug, Icotyde, is approved for patients over the age of 12 with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, J&J said Wednesday. Developed as icotrokinra, Icotyde is designed to mimic the effects of top-selling psoriasis treatments, including AbbVie’s Skyrizi and J&J’s own Tremfya, without the need for needles.
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Analysts expect J&J’s drug to reshape one of the most competitive fields in the pharmaceutical industry. Patients with psoriasis typically cycle through topical drugs before getting prescribed an injectable therapy, and many opt out of treatment for reasons of convenience or cost. Icotyde has the potential to expand the market, according to J&J, and the company expects the drug to bring in more than $5 billion in annual sales at its peak.
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