Deucravacitinib for psoriatic arthritis: 52-week results from the phase III POETYK PsA-2 trial

Deucravacitinib, a first-in-class oral, selective TYK2 inhibitor, has an established clinical profile in moderate-to-severe PsO and is currently under investigation in phase III trials for the treatment of patients with active PsA. The phase III POETYK PsA-2 trial (NCT04908189) is evaluating the efficacy and safety of deucravacitinib 6 mg QD (n = 312) vs placebo (n = 312; commencing deucravacitinib at Week 16) vs apremilast 30 mg BID (n = 105; safety reference arm, commencing deucravacitinib at Week 52) in patients with active PsA (N = 729). The primary endpoint at Week 16 was achievement of ACR20. Key secondary endpoints included assessments of the musculoskeletal system, skin, and PsA disease activity measures and QoL vs placebo at Week 16.

At the EULAR 2025 Congress, Philip Mease presented results up to Week 52 of the trial, providing further insights into the long-term clinical profile of deucravacitinib in PsA.¹

Key learnings

The primary endpoint was met: at Week 16, deucravacitinib significantly improved ACR20 response vs placebo (54.2% vs 39.4%, p = 0.0002). The proportion of patients with ACR responses increased through Week 28 and were maintained through Week 52.

Clinical responses, including ACR50 (28.8% vs 16.3%), ACR70 (10.6% vs 5.4%), and PASI75 (40.9% vs 15.4%), were higher with deucravacitinib vs placebo at Week 16 and were sustained through Week 52.

Through Week 52, SAEs occurred in 5.8% (deucravacitinib), 4.5% (placebo → deucravacitinib), and 9.5% (apremilast) of patients. AEs leading to discontinuation were reported in 4.8%, 2.7%, and 12.4% of patients, respectively. No deaths were reported.

Deucravacitinib demonstrated durable efficacy and a consistent safety profile through Week 52, supporting its potential as a convenient oral treatment option for active PsA across multiple domains.