The IL-17A and IL-17F inhibitor hit all its objectives in the phase 2 trial, which has now been published in The Lancet, and showed that it was significantly more effective than placebo at clearing up skin lesions in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.
The phase 2 study included a range of doses, but at the highest achieved a 90% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores in around 80% of patients after 12 weeks, and 100% improvement – i.e. clear skin – in half of patients at week 24.
Merck licensed sonelokimab (M1095) from Ablynx in 2013, and four years later formed a partnership with Avillion to carry out phase 2 and 3 testing of the drug.
