Discussing Icotrokinra for Adolescents, Other Emerging Psoriasis Drugs, With Linda Stein Gold, MD

The 2026 Maui Derm Hawaii conference, held at the Grand Wailea hotel, featured a presentation titled ‘Best of the Best at Maui Derm’ highlighting some of the key recent data on emerging therapeutic agents.1

This session was presented by Linda Stein Gold, MD, director of Dermatology Clinical Research for the Henry Ford Health System, and Jason Hawkes, MD, associate professor of dermatology at the University of California, Davis, in Sacramento. Stein Gold sat down with HCPLive to discuss some of the most notable information highlighted in this talk.

“I think that in 2026, we understand that we have options available for our psoriasis patients to get them under control better than we have in the past, and we have wonderful options in the topical arena. We have these new nonsteroidal options that actually allow us to get patients under control and keep them under control.”

Additionally, Stein Gold highlighted efficacy rates of some of the new nonsteroidals as higher than more traditional nonsteroidal options in the past. Such options may help to simplify the treatment regimens among patients with psoriasis. Stein Gold also highlighted biologic agents getting patients to clear or almost clear and working well for psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Stein Gold was later asked about any specific drugs on the horizon with a significant amount of data behind them.

“We have one oral agent, icotrakinra…and this is a drug that's actually an oral peptide,” Stein Gold said. “It's different from the small molecules in the biologic [realm], and it's been formulated to be better absorbed. This drug actually targets the IL-23 receptor.”

Stein Gold noted icotrokinra was developed to selectively bind the interleukin (IL)-23 receptor and inhibit IL-23–mediated signaling. The medication’s use in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis was explored in a variety of phase 3 clinical trials, including LEAD, ADVANCE 1, and ADVANCE 2.2 Stein Gold’s talk at Maui Derm included a discussion of data in adolescent patients specifically.

“We had a recent readout there where the efficacy data is really quite good, long term data does not show any safety signals that we seem to be concerned about,” Stein Gold explained. “We know that when we stop treatment with this drug, we see that we have about 8 - 12 weeks before we lose a PASI 90 or a PASI 75 response.”

For any additional information on these topics, view Stein Gold’s full interview posted above. To find out more from Maui Derm, view the latest conference coverage.

The quotes contained in this interview were edited for clarity.

Disclosures: Stein Gold has reported serving as an investigator, advisor, or speaker for AbbVie, Amgen, Arctis, Bristol Myers Squibb, Dermavant, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB. AWA has served as a research investigator, scientific advisor, or speaker to AbbVie, Amgen, Arcutis, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Dermavant Sciences, Eli Lilly, Galderma, Incyte, Johnson & Johnson, Leo Pharma, Novartis, Parexel, Pfizer, Regeneron, Sanofi, Takeda, and UCB. RB is an advisory board member, consultant, speaker, investigator for, or received honoraria or grants from AbbVie, Alumis, Amgen, AnaptysBio, Arcutis, BMS/Celgene, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, LEO Pharma, Organon, Nimbus, Takeda, UCB, VentyxBio, Vyne, Xencor, and Zurabio, and is also an employee and shareholder of Innovaderm Research.

References

1. Stein Gold L, Hawkes J. Best of the Best at Maui Derm. Presented at the 2026 Maui Derm Hawaii Conference, January 25-29.

2. Armstrong A, et al. Comparative analysis of icotrokinra and approved advanced treatments for achievement of completely clear skin in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis: A systematic literature review and network meta-analysis. Presented at the 2026 Maui Derm Hawaii Conference, January 25-29. Accessed January 28, 2026.