Janssen’s Guselkumab Beats Humira in Phase III Psoriasis Trial

In a Phase III trial, Janssen’s injectable plaque psoriasis treatment delivered better head-to-head clinical results than international top-selling drug Humira, which amassed over $14 billion in sales in 2015.

After 16 weeks of treatment, 73.3 percent of patients receiving Janssen’s guselkumab demonstrated at least 90-percent skin clearance after three doses, compared to 49.7 percent of patients that received 10 doses of Humira (adalimumab).

Humira, a tumor necrosis factor blocker sponsored by AbbVie, is also approved for rheumatoid arthritis and four other indications; its U.S. patent is set to expire in December, with European patent protection lasting until April 2018. Plaque psoriasis affects approximately 7 million people in the U.S., and 125 million worldwide.