Phase III POETYK PsA-2 trial: Deucravacitinib in PsA

Results from the multicenter, randomized, double-blind, phase III POETYK PsA-2 trial (NCT04908189), evaluating deucravacitinib in 729 adults with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who had an inadequate/loss of response or intolerance to conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) and/or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and/or prior exposure to and/or failure or intolerance to TNF inhibitors (TNFis), were published in Arthritis & Rheumatology by Mease et al. The primary endpoint was American College of Rheumatology 20% improvement in response (ACR20) at Week 16.  

Key data: At Week 16, a greater proportion of patients receiving deucravacitinib vs placebo achieved ACR20 (54.2% vs 39.4%; p = 0.0002). ACR20 response rates continued to increase through Week 28 and were maintained through Week 52 in those who received deucravacitinib throughout the study (62.2%) and in those who switched from placebo to deucravacitinib at Week 16 (67.3%). At Week 16, a greater proportion of patients receiving deucravacitinib vs placebo also achieved ≥75% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI75; p < 0.0001) and minimal disease activity (MDA; p = 0.0007). Serious adverse events (SAEs) occurred in 1.9%, 1.0%, and 3.8% of patients receiving deucravacitinib, placebo, and apremilast (safety reference arm), respectively, with no new safety signals reported through Week 52. 

Key learning: Deucravacitinib demonstrated superior, durable efficacy vs placebo in patients with PsA and was well tolerated through 52 weeks, supporting its role as an oral treatment option for patients who have an inadequate response or intolerance to conventional therapies and/or prior exposure to or failure with/intolerance to TNFis.