SPRING HOUSE, PA — Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) reported that its oral psoriasis treatment ICOTYDE (icotrokinra) maintained skin clearance through 112 weeks in a Phase 3 clinical study, providing longer-term evidence of the drug’s effectiveness in treating difficult-to-manage areas of the body.
The findings, presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress 2026, showed that 89% of treated patients with genital psoriasis and 60% with scalp psoriasis achieved complete clearance in those areas after approximately two years.
The results come from the Phase 3 ICONIC-TOTAL study, which evaluated adults and adolescents ages 12 and older with at least moderate plaque psoriasis involvement in areas including the scalp, genitals, hands, feet and nails.
ICOTYDE is an oral peptide designed to selectively block the interleukin-23 receptor, a component of the immune signaling pathway involved in psoriasis.
The treatment’s oral delivery distinguishes it from injectable therapies targeting the same inflammatory pathway, offering Johnson & Johnson a differentiated approach in the market for systemic psoriasis treatments.
Across the study population receiving ICOTYDE, the proportion of patients achieving clear or almost clear skin increased from 57% at Week 16 to 67% at Week 24 and 70% at Week 112, as measured by the Investigator’s Global Assessment.
Site-specific outcomes showed varying levels of complete clearance after 112 weeks.
Among patients with psoriasis affecting the hands or feet, 63% achieved complete clearance in those areas, according to the study’s physician assessment measures.
Nail psoriasis also improved over the treatment period, with the mean percentage improvement in the modified Nail Psoriasis Severity Index rising from 33% at Week 16 to 62% at Week 52 and 71% at Week 112.
The findings are relevant to patients whose psoriasis affects areas associated with pain, impaired physical activity and substantial effects on daily functioning, even when the total affected skin area is relatively small.
Richard B. Warren, professor of dermatology at the University of Manchester, said psoriasis involving these locations can be particularly difficult to manage with conventional topical treatments.
“Even when these affected areas cover a small percentage of the body, they often do not respond to topical creams, limit activity, and degrade mental health due to unrelenting symptoms,” Warren said.
Johnson & Johnson reported that safety findings through Week 112 remained consistent with ICOTYDE’s established safety profile, with no new safety signals identified during the extended observation period.
The longer-term results add evidence concerning the durability of treatment response, an important consideration in managing plaque psoriasis as a chronic inflammatory condition.
David M. Lee, Johnson & Johnson’s global immunology therapeutic area head, said the findings provide physicians with longer-term clinical information for treating psoriasis in areas where conventional therapies may be less effective.
The ICONIC-TOTAL findings extend the clinical evidence for ICOTYDE beyond initial treatment response, documenting outcomes through approximately two years across several high-impact psoriasis locations.
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