Investigational drugs in phase II clinical trials for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis - potential new treatments on the horizon

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Psoriasis is a common immune disorder for which there are many FDA-approved therapies. Older oral drugs had limited efficacy and considerable side effects. Biologics have been a major advance but require self-administered injections, and many patients prefer oral options. Because many patients fear needles, oral drugs are a welcome option. This review provides an update on oral drugs in Phase II development for psoriasis.

Areas covered: A literature review was performed to identify these drugs by using search terms such as ‘psoriasis’, ‘agents’, ‘drugs’, and ‘phase 2 development’. Baricitinib and KDO 25 are the oral drugs that appear to hold the most promise due to the balance they maintain between efficacy and adverse effects. If a RORγt inhibitor can be identified that has no hepatotoxicity, then that may be the most promising new oral treatment.

Expert opinion: Several new oral psoriasis medications are currently being investigated. One major challenge remains medication cost and insurance coverage. Phase III studies are needed to determine efficacy and safety in large cohorts of psoriasis patients. An increase in the number of approved oral medications for psoriasis would mean more choice for psoriasis patients.

KEYWORDS:

• Psoriasis
• phase 2
• oral drugs
• injectables

Article highlights

• Oral drug agents are preferred by psoriasis patients compared to injectables.

• Current treatment methods for psoriasis have a large number of adverse events that compromise the efficacy.

• New oral treatments are being developed and are in Phase II trials. Out of these, barcitinib and KDO 25 hold the most promise because they have a good balance between efficacy and the number of adverse events.

• It will be important to track the cost of these drugs over time so that they can be accessible to patients.

This box summarizes key points contained in the article.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer Disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial relationships or otherwise to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.