2023-03-07 09:00:19 ET
Protagonist Therapeutics ( NASDAQ: PTGX ) added ~16% pre-market Tuesday after announcing that the plaque psoriasis candidate JNJ-2113, it co-develops with the Janssen unit of Johnson & Johnson, reached the main goal in a Phase 2 trial.
The FRONTIER 1 Phase 2b trial was designed to evaluate the oral Interleukin-23 receptor (IL-23R) antagonist in 255 patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in three once-daily and two twice-daily dosages.
FRONTIER 1 reached the primary endpoint as a “statistically significant greater proportion of patients” across all five JNJ-2113 groups indicated a 75% improvement in skin lesions at Week 16 as measured by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 75).
According to the company, there was no “meaningful difference” in the incidence of adverse events between the treatment and placebo arms of the trial.
Detailed results from the trial are expected at an upcoming medical conference. “It is our expectation that JNJ-2113 will progress into a Phase 3 registrational study in plaque psoriasis on the strength of these data,” Protagonist’s ( PTGX ) Chief Executive Dinesh Patel remarked.
In 2022, Seeking Alpha contributor Galzus Research issued a Strong Buy rating on the stock, citing valuation.
For further details see:
Johnson & Johnson, Protagonist succeed in mid-stage trial for psoriasis candidate