6 Dermatology Headlines You Missed in March 2026

The month of March 2026 highlighted a variety of key news headlines within the dermatology space, including many resulting from the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado.

In March, the dermatology world delivered a mix of head-to-head shakeups, long-term data, and meaningful US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-related developments across the inflammatory skin disease landscape. In psoriasis, new findings are raising fresh questions about how best to sequence therapies, as risankizumab goes head-to-head with deucravacitinib, and emerging oral medications such as zasocitinib and icotrokinra continue to build momentum.

New findings in atopic dermatitis are also adding to an increasingly competitive biologic landscape. From shifting hierarchies for treatment to expanding therapeutic agents, this iteration of HCPLive’s ‘Month in Review’ series hints at where dermatologic care may be headed next:

New Data on Treatments

Risankizumab Outperforms Deucravacitinib on Psoriasis Clearance Across Patient Subgroups in Phase 4 Head-to-Head Trial

In data highlighted at AAD 2026, risankizumab (Skyrizi) therapy demonstrated significantly greater clearance of patients’ skin than deucravacitinib (Sotyktu) at the 16-week mark across a broad range of subgroups in adults with biologic-naïve moderate plaque psoriasis. These findings, resulting from a subgroup analysis of the phase 4 IMMpactful trial, help to extend the primary efficacy findings of IMMpactful which were first released at the Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference in October 2025.

Sustained PASI Responses Observed Through Week 60 with Zasocitinib, With Melinda Gooderham, MD

In other late-breaking data released during AAD, phase 3 findings suggest zasocitinib may be reshaping the oral medication landscape for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, with investigators noting high levels of skin clearance known to usually be the domain of biologics. These findings were addressed by investigator Melinda Gooderham, MD, medical director of the SKiN Centre for Dermatology in Ontario, Canada, who walked through the data resulting from the pivotal phase 3 LATITUDE trial program (NCT06671483).

RADIANT-AD: Rademikibart Effective Over 52 Weeks in Atopic Dermatitis, With Cheng Zhou, MD

Rademikibart in adults and adolescents living with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis was also highlighted at AAD in late-breaking data sessions, with findings suggesting the drug’s use leads to rapid and clinically significant improvements sustained through 52 weeks. The phase 3 RADIANT‑AD trial demonstrated rapid, clinically meaningful improvements in adults and adolescents by Week 16 across all major efficacy endpoints. By 1 year of use, a large majority of those on rademikibart attained near‑maximal skin clearance and sustained pruritus control.

ICONIC-LEAD: 1 Year Icotrokinra Data Confirm Durable Psoriasis Clearance, PRO Improvements in Adults, Adolescents, With Jennifer Soung, MD

These findings highlight 1-year data from the phase 3 ICONIC-LEAD trial, confirming icotrokinra (ICOTYDE) as delivering durable clearance of skin as well as meaningful patient-reported improvements among adult and adolescent patients living with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. There were also no new safety signals through Week 52. The results in adolescent patients, presented across 2 companion posters at AAD, were especially significant given the lack of approved advanced oral options for this population. The data were highlighted by Jennifer Soung, MD, founder and director of Clinical Research at Southern California Dermatology in Santa Ana, California.

FDA News

Icotrokinra, an Oral Il-23 Inhibitor, Receives FDA Approval for Psoriasis

In 1 notable FDA decision from March 2026, the agency approved icotrokinra (ICOTYDE) for patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis aged 12 years and older weighing at least 40 kg. Those eligible for the drug must also be candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. Johnson & Johnson announced the FDA’s decision on March 18, 2026, marking a first for an oral targeted peptide designed to selectively block the interleukin (IL)-23 receptor. The move introduced a new mechanistic class to the psoriasis treatment landscape following the phase 3 ICONIC program

FDA Approves Secukinumab for Pediatric Patients 12 Years and Older with HS

Another FDA approval from March 2026 was for secukinumab in moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). The drug was approved by the agency for pediatric patients aged 12 and older, making it the only IL-17A inhibitor currently indicated for this population. Secukinumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody formulated to directly target IL-17A, a key cytokine driving the inflammatory pathways implicated in several immune-mediated conditions. This approval of the drug provides a differentiated biologic option to an area where options for younger patients with HS have often been limited.