Phase 3b trial reports positive results for Taltz-Zepbound psoriasis combo

Eli Lilly has reported positive results from its phase 3b Together-PsO trial evaluating the combined use of Taltz (ixekizumab) and Zepbound (tirzepatide) in adults with plaque psoriasis and obesity or overweight. At 36 weeks, 27.1% of patients receiving both drugs achieved complete skin clearance and at least 10% weight loss, compared to 5.8% of patients receiving Taltz alone, meeting the study’s primary endpoint.

In a key secondary measure, 40.6% of patients in the combination group reached complete skin clearance, compared to 29.0% in the monotherapy group. The 274-participant study enrolled a population with an average BMI of more than 39 kilograms per square meter — the highest of any phase 3 psoriasis biologic trial to date.

Nearly all patients had psoriasis affecting high-impact areas and most had approximately 25% body surface area involvement. The study marks Taltz as the first biologic with data from two trials supporting use alongside an incretin therapy. Zepbound is the only FDA-approved dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist for obesity management.

New oral therapies for plaque psoriasis were also presented at the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting. Three new oral therapies for plaque psoriasis were discussed — two tyrosine kinase 2 inhibitors with similar results, zasocitinib and envudeucitinib, and icotrokinra, a recently approved oral peptide.

The new oral therapies provide “biologic-like efficacy.” “So, when we have that discussion with our patients, we can let them choose. Do you prefer an injection? Do you prefer oral therapy? And we can be confident that we are offering them the same levels of efficacy.”