Takeda Announces Positive Trial Results for TYK2 Inhibitor

Takeda has announced positive results from a Phase 2b clinical trial of a tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitor in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, meeting its primary and secondary endpoints compared to placebo. “We are confident that we can execute a comprehensive development program and deliver a potential best-in-class therapy for patients, given Takeda’s strong background in immune-mediated diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease.” said Andy Plump, Takeda’s President of R&D.

Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system causes skin cells to multiply too quickly.  Globally, an estimated 125 million people are living with psoriasis and about 80-90% of those have plaque psoriasis, a common form of psoriasis.^5,6

Based on these Phase 2b results, Takeda will initiate a Phase 3 study of TAK-279 in psoriasis in FY2023. Takeda expects topline results from a Phase 2b study in psoriatic arthritis in FY2023 and will be evaluating TAK-279 in additional immune-mediated diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Other indications will be explored in the future.

Tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) is an intracellular enzyme that belongs to the Janus family of protein tyrosine kinases. TYK2 is a key part of the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) signaling pathway, which mediates several key immune cytokine receptors associated with inflammation. Increased activation of these inflammatory proteins is associated with several autoimmune diseases, including psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and inflammatory bowel disease. Selective allosteric inhibition of TYK2 may be a promising therapeutic approach to target autoimmune inflammation while potentially avoiding the toxicity associated with JAK inhibitors. (Source: Takeda Website, 18 March, 2023)