Takeda's zasocitinib clears hard-to-treat psoriasis sites in Phase 3 follow-up
Secondary data from the completed LATITUDE-PsO trials show the oral TYK2 inhibitor cleared scalp, palm, sole and nail psoriasis, building on primary endpoint wins already reported.
Executive Summary
- Takeda's completed Phase 3 psoriasis trial produced new site-specific detail showing its oral TYK2 inhibitor cleared skin at the scalp, palms, soles and nails, extending a primary endpoint win the company had already disclosed.
- This update is a secondary-endpoint readout, not a fresh pivotal result: the trial's primary endpoint outcome was established months earlier, so the incremental news is about durability and reach into harder-to-treat body regions.
- The drug sits in a moderately populated oral JAK1/TYK2 field with several same-target and same-mechanism programs in later-phase testing, and the new data lean into differentiating on site-specific clearance rather than raw response rate.
- Takeda has stated plans to submit a US New Drug Application for plaque psoriasis this fiscal year, and the trial's operational record shows no material instability heading into that filing.
The disclosure
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited presented new secondary endpoint data at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology Innovation Academy on July 16, 2026, from the completed Phase 3 LATITUDE-PsO-3002 trial (NCT06108544) of zasocitinib, an oral tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitor, in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. The trial enrolled 1,108 patients across the United States, Poland, Canada and Bulgaria and completed on November 7, 2025. Takeda had already disclosed the trial's primary endpoint result in December 2025: about 70% of patients achieved static Physician's Global Assessment (sPGA) 0/1, clear or almost clear skin, at Week 16 across the two pivotal LATITUDE studies, versus placebo, with p<0.001. NCT06108544+1A Study About How Well TAK-279 Works and Its Safety in Participants With Moderate-to-severe Plaque Psoriasis During 60 Weeks of Treatment With a Withdrawal and Retreatment PeriodNCT06108544Takeda’s Zasocitinib Demonstrates Consistent, High Rates of Skin Clearance Across the Body, Including Hard-to-Treat and High-Impact Sites, in Phase 3 Psoriasis StudiesJul 16, 2026
Probability of SuccessBased on the AppliedXL Probability of Success model. For more information about the methodology, read the research here.
The new data
The July 16 disclosure adds site-specific detail the primary readout did not cover. Among patients with scalp psoriasis, 77% and 74% achieved scalp-specific clearance on zasocitinib across the two studies, compared with 7% and 13% on placebo and 30% and 42% on apremilast (p<0.001 for both comparisons). Among patients with palm and sole involvement, about 70% (71% and 69%) achieved clearance at those sites versus 10-22% on placebo and 43-44% on apremilast. Patients with nail psoriasis showed a statistically significant improvement in the Nail Psoriasis Severity Index versus placebo (p<0.001). Responses across all these measures held through Week 24, and the most common adverse events, upper respiratory tract infection, nasopharyngitis and acne, showed no new safety signals. Takeda’sTakeda’s Zasocitinib Demonstrates Consistent, High Rates of Skin Clearance Across the Body, Including Hard-to-Treat and High-Impact Sites, in Phase 3 Psoriasis StudiesJul 16, 2026
Reading the endpoint structure
The trial registered two primary endpoints, the Week 16 sPGA 0/1 response and a 75% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 75), both against placebo. Both were reported as met with p<0.001. The scalp, palm/sole and nail results disclosed this month are secondary measures within a 48-endpoint secondary battery, run against both placebo and the active comparator apremilast, an oral PDE4 inhibitor approved for plaque psoriasis. That the drug beat an active comparator, not only placebo, at several of these hard-to-treat sites gives the update independent weight beyond simply confirming what was already known. NCT06108544A Study About How Well TAK-279 Works and Its Safety in Participants With Moderate-to-severe Plaque Psoriasis During 60 Weeks of Treatment With a Withdrawal and Retreatment PeriodNCT06108544
Operational picture
The trial's enrollment held flat at its final target of 1,108 with no material growth after a 2024 registry update, and Takeda's completion rate across its broader JAK-family trial portfolio is high, both signs the program ran on a routine footing. The primary completion date moved once, from July 2025 to December 2024, alongside the enrollment update in August 2024, a single amendment rather than a pattern of slippage. NCT06108544A Study About How Well TAK-279 Works and Its Safety in Participants With Moderate-to-severe Plaque Psoriasis During 60 Weeks of Treatment With a Withdrawal and Retreatment PeriodNCT06108544
The competitive field
Zasocitinib's closest comparators share its JAK1/TYK2 mechanism class: AbbVie's upadacitinib, Eisai's filgotinib, Pfizer's abrocitinib and Eli Lilly's baricitinib are all approved oral JAK inhibitors in inflammatory-disease trials, though in indications other than plaque psoriasis. Bristol-Myers Squibb's deucravacitinib is the nearest same-target-class rival actually competing in plaque psoriasis, also an oral TYK2 inhibitor with ongoing Phase 3 studies. The target-indication pairing carries a 25% Phase 3 failure rate historically, with three of twelve completed trials terminated, a base rate that frames but does not predict this program's own outcome. NCT06108544A Study About How Well TAK-279 Works and Its Safety in Participants With Moderate-to-severe Plaque Psoriasis During 60 Weeks of Treatment With a Withdrawal and Retreatment PeriodNCT06108544
This analysis was produced using AI-assisted reporting systems, AppliedXL data, and official public records. These systems undergo editorial review, quality checks, and regular audits by human experts. Errors may still occur, as with any automated system. Always consult the linked primary sources. Read our AI Editorial Policy.