Expanding Psoriasis Frontiers: Emerging Treatment Pathways and Advances in Care - Episode 5
Expert Perspectives on Investigational TYK2 Inhibitors in Psoriasis
Panelists discuss how emerging TYK2 inhibitors such as brepocitinib and ESK001 target the JAK/STAT pathway to block IL-23 and IL-17 signaling, showing promising phase 2 results with PASI 100 rates around 33% and PASI 75 rates of 64%.
Patients may soon benefit from next-generation TYK2 inhibitors that offer enhanced efficacy compared with current oral treatment options. Two promising molecules in late-phase development, deucravacitinib and ESK001, represent advances in targeting the JAK/STAT pathway’s inflammatory cascade central to psoriasis pathophysiology. These treatments work by blocking TYK2 through allosteric inhibition, providing high selectivity and specificity for patients seeking targeted oral therapy.
TYK2 inhibitors offer patients oral treatment that targets key inflammatory cytokines IL-23 and IL-17 through downstream signaling disruption. This mechanism allows patients to benefit from reduced signs and symptoms of psoriasis through highly selective pathway targeting. The allosteric inhibition approach provides patients with precise therapeutic intervention that minimizes off-target effects while maximizing treatment efficacy for psoriatic inflammation.
Clinical trial data demonstrate impressive efficacy rates for patients receiving investigational TYK2 inhibitors, with approximately one-third achieving complete skin clearance (PASI 100) at 12 weeks with deucravacitinib. ESK001 shows PASI 75 response rates of 64% vs 0% with placebo at week 12, representing significant advancement for patients seeking oral treatment options. These results suggest that patients may soon have access to oral medications delivering efficacy levels previously associated primarily with biologic treatments, thereby expanding convenient treatment options for moderate to severe psoriasis.
