Merck's experimental skin disease drug succeeds in mid-stage study

Sept 30 — Merck said on Wednesday its experimental drug significantly reduced inflammatory ​skin lesions in patients with a chronic skin disease, meeting the main goal of a mid-stage study.

The results bolster Merck's ‌push into immunology and could position the drug, tulisokibart, as a potential new treatment ⁠option for hidradenitis suppurativa, also ​known as acne inversa, which ⁠causes small, painful lumps to form under the skin.

In the study, ‌72% of patients ‌who received the highest dose of tulisokibart achieved at least ⁠a 50% reduction in inflammatory skin ⁠lesions after 16 weeks, compared with 35% of patients on placebo.

RBC Capital analysts had expected about 52% to 58% of patients to achieve at least a 50% reduction in inflammatory skin lesions.

About 41% of patients receiving the highest dose of the ‌drug also achieved a tougher measure requiring ​at least a 75% reduction in lesions, compared with 15% on placebo, Merck said.

The company added that safety was comparable between treatment and placebo groups.

Merck acquired tulisokibart through its $10.8 billion purchase of Prometheus Biosciences in 2023.

Tulisokibart, which succeeded in a late-stage chronic bowel disease study in June, is among the drugs ​Merck is counting on to help offset the eventual loss of exclusivity ‌on Keytruda, its ‌blockbuster ⁠cancer immunotherapy, later this decade.

RBC Capital analysts project the market for hidradenitis suppurativa treatments to exceed $10 billion by 2035.

Biologic medicines are currently used by a small proportion of patients and treatment rates are expected ‌to increase as new ​therapies become available, the analysts said.

Currently ‌approved treatments for the ⁠condition include ​AbbVie's Humira and Novartis' Cosentyx.

(Reporting by Sahil Pandey in Bengaluru; Editing by ​Shreya Biswas)

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