J&J and Protagonist's Icotyde improves psoriatic arthritis, but Skyrizi likely to stay ahead
- Phase 3 ICONIC-PsA 1 met its primary endpoint: 58% of Icotyde patients reached ACR20 at week 16 versus 41% on placebo, with no new safety signals reported by J&J.
- BMO put placebo-adjusted joint improvement at 17% versus 23% for Skyrizi in KEEPsAKE 1, saying this does not establish differentiation.
- BMO sees oral convenience driving uptake and expects long-term share gains; Icotyde was approved for plaque psoriasis in March 2026.
💡 Points Based on public reports
Cross-trial comparisons are shaky, but a smaller placebo-adjusted gain than Skyrizi means Icotyde cannot win on joint efficacy. Its pitch is convenience: the first oral IL-23R peptide against an injectable incumbent. For J&J, which also sells Tremfya, the question is whether pill preference outweighs a visible efficacy gap.
J&J and Protagonist's Icotyde improves psoriatic arthritis but AbbVie's Skyrizi likely to reign ↗