Pfizer announces positive data from mid-stage trial of tasocitinib in psoriasis

Pfizer on Thursday announced that its experimental compound, tasocitinib, met its goal in a mid-stage trial involving patients with psoriasis.
Presented at the annual meeting of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, the study randomised 197 patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis to receive one of three doses of the oral JAK inhibitor or placebo twice daily. After 12 weeks, 66.7 percent of patients receiving the highest dose of tasocitinib reported a reduction of at least 75 percent in a measure of the prevalence and severity of symptoms, followed by 40.8 percent and 25 percent of patients receiving a mid-level and low-dose of tasocitinib, respectively.
By comparison, only 2 percent of patients receiving placebo reached the 75 percent symptom improvement benchmark. Moreover, improvements in symptoms were observed as early as week four in patients receiving the two highest doses of the experimental drug.
The drugmaker has started a late-stage study of tasocitinib in patients with chronic moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. In addition, Pfizer expects to present Phase III data on the drug in patients with in rheumatoid arthritis at a medical conference in November, according to a company spokeswoman. The drug is also being evaluated in clinical trials as a treatment for dry eye, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and solid organ transplant.

Reference Articles
Pfizer drug promising in mid-stage psoriasis study - (Forexyard)
Pfizer psoriasis drug meets goal in midstage study - (MSN Money)
Pfizer's psoriasis candidate effective in mid-stage study - (NASDAQ)
Oral tasocitinib demonstrates statistically significant response by 12 weeks in Phase 2 study of people with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis - (Pfizer)

**Published in "First Word"