An investigational agent—the oral interleukin-23 receptor antagonist peptide JNJ-2113—may improve skin lesions in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, according to a report from Medscape. In the phase IIb FRONTIER 1 trial—presented by Bissonnette et al at the 25th World Congress of Dermatology (WCD)—researchers randomly assigned 255 patients to receive either 25 mg of JNJ-2113 daily, 25 mg twice daily, 50 mg daily, 100 mg daily, 100 mg twice daily, or placebo. After a follow-up of 16 weeks, the researchers found that compared with 9.3% of those who received placebo, 78.6% of patients who received 100 mg of JNJ-2113 twice daily experienced a 75% or greater improvement in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index. The researchers reported that the response to treatment correlated with the dose level received. For those given lower dose levels, minimal improvements in disease severity were observed, whereas those receiving higher dose levels achieved greater improvements. The researchers hope their findings can influence a change in the treatment paradigm for patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.
July 13, 2023