Osaka, Japan and Cambridge, Mass. — Takeda announced new Phase 3 data showing its investigational psoriasis drug zasocitinib outperformed deucravacitinib across primary and key secondary efficacy endpoints in adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.
Zasocitinib, also known as TAK-279, is an investigational oral tyrosine kinase 2, or TYK2, inhibitor. The results from three Phase 3 LATITUDE studies were presented at the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology Congress 2026.
In the head-to-head Phase 3 LATITUDE Atlas study, 36.5% of patients treated with zasocitinib achieved complete skin clearance, measured as PASI 100, at week 16, compared with 13.9% of patients receiving deucravacitinib.
Takeda said 62.5% of zasocitinib-treated patients achieved PASI 90 at week 16 compared with 34% of those receiving deucravacitinib. Clear skin based on a static Physician Global Assessment score of zero was reported in 43.2% of patients receiving zasocitinib compared with 18.5% receiving deucravacitinib.
“Psoriasis is a heterogeneous disease driven by multiple immune pathways and TYK2 plays a central role in regulating several key inflammatory signals,” said Chinwe Ukomadu, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Head of the Gastrointestinal & Inflammation Therapeutic Area Unit at Takeda.
“Across our Phase 3 trials, zasocitinib demonstrated superiority versus two distinct oral therapeutic classes in addition to rapid, durable and consistent skin clearance across patient types and in high-impact, hard-to-treat areas. The totality of these results underscores its potential to redefine what patients and physicians can expect from an oral psoriasis treatment,” Ukomadu added.
Takeda said zasocitinib was generally well tolerated in the LATITUDE Atlas study, with no new safety signals identified. The most common adverse events across the Phase 3 psoriasis trials included upper respiratory tract infection, nasopharyngitis and acne.
Additional results from the Phase 3 LATITUDE PsO 3001 and 3002 studies showed that skin clearance was maintained through longer-term follow-up. Among patients who achieved a response at week 24, up to 93% maintained their skin clearance through week 52 in LATITUDE PsO 3001 and through week 40 in LATITUDE PsO 3002.
Patients receiving zasocitinib also reported improvements in itching and quality of life beginning as early as week two, with continued improvements through week 24.
“Psoriasis affects patients in ways that extend well beyond visible skin lesions. Persistent plaques, uncontrolled itch and the unpredictability of flares can have a profound impact on sleep, daily activities and overall well-being, while the ongoing demands of managing the disease can place an additional burden on patients,” said Linda Stein Gold, M.D., Director of Dermatology Clinical Research at Henry Ford Health in Detroit and principal investigator for the LATITUDE Atlas study.
“The data from the Phase 3 trials provide a more complete picture of once-daily oral zasocitinib, demonstrating rapid, durable and consistent skin clearance alongside meaningful improvements in itch and quality of life. Together, these findings underscore the potential of zasocitinib to deliver multiple outcomes that matter to patients and clinicians,” she added.
Previous Phase 3 LATITUDE PsO 3001 and 3002 results showed zasocitinib was statistically superior to apremilast across key secondary efficacy endpoints. Takeda said the latest findings mean zasocitinib has demonstrated superior efficacy against two different classes of oral psoriasis therapies in Phase 3 studies.
Zasocitinib is under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.
Takeda is also evaluating the drug in Phase 3 studies for psoriatic arthritis and Phase 2 studies involving Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, vitiligo and hidradenitis suppurativa.
