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

New late-breaking phase 3 data presented at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting suggest zasocitinib may help reshape the oral treatment landscape for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, with high skin clearance rates known historically to be the domain of biologics.1,2

In an interview at the meeting, Melinda Gooderham, MD, medical director of the SKiN Centre for Dermatology in Ontario, Canada, walked through results from the LATITUDE trial program (NCT06671483). These were a pair of pivotal phase 3 studies assessing zasocitinib against both placebo and an active comparator, apremilast, long considered a standard oral agent.

“We've done really well for our psoriasis patients as far as having options to completely clear their skin,” Gooderham explained. “But in the past, there’s been a bit of a trade off with the oral agents…I see a new phase coming where the oral agents are providing the same level of efficacy and safety as we're seeing with the biologic agents.”

The studies’ co-primary endpoints centered on static Physician's Global Assessment (sPGA) 0/1, representing having clear or almost clear skin, and PASI 75 response at the 16-week mark. On the sPGA 0/1 measure, approximately 70% of those receiving zasocitinib attained clear or almost clear skin by Week 16. This was compared with roughly 30% in the apremilast arm and 10% in the placebo arm. These strong responses held through Week 24.

The depth of clearance was highlighted by Gooderham as especially compelling. By the 24-week mark, Gooderham et al found two-thirds of zasocitinib-treated individuals achieved PASI 90, and a third had attained complete skin clearance, or PASI 100, by Week 16, maintained through Week 24.

Gooderham and coauthors’ durability data added further weight to the findings. Beyond the 40-week mark, more than 90% of those treated with zasocitinib maintained clear or almost clear skin.

PASI 75 and PASI 90 responses were sustained through Week 60, directly addressing a longstanding question about the staying power of oral medications in the psoriasis management space. Gooderham contextualized these findings within a broader shift she sees underway in the field.

"We finally will have a pill that can offer the same efficacy as a biologic," Gooderham said. "That will open up all options for our patients."

Gooderham and colleagues’ safety findings on zasocitinib were consistent with the established profile of the drug class, further supporting the treatment’s potential as a viable alternative for patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

For additional information on the findings’ significance, view Gooderham’s interview video posted above.

Gooderham’s has previously reported non-financial support from Takeda in addition to personal fees from AbbVie, Amgen, Arcutis, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli Lilly, Galderma, Incyte, Janssen, Leo Pharma, Meiji, Dermavant, Moonlake, Nektar, Nimbus, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, Sanofi, Sun Pharma, Tarsus, Takeda, UCB, Union, Ventyx, and Apogee.

References

1. Gooderham M, et al. Once-daily oral zasocitinib demonstrates rapid and reproducible skin clearance with a consistent safety profile in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis: results from two randomized phase 3 trials (LATITUDE-PsO-3001 and 3002). Presented at: 2026 American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting; March 27-31, 2026; Denver, CO.

2. Gooderham M. New Topline Phase 3 Data on Zasocitinib in Psoriasis, With Melinda Gooderham, MD. HCPLive. January 10, 2026. Accessed March 29, 2026. https://www.hcplive.com/view/new-topline-phase-3-data-zasocitinib-psoriasis-melinda-gooderham-md.