Tremfya^® (guselkumab)

The compound

Tremfya^® (guselkumab)– An investigational antibody targeting IL-23

Tremfya^® (guselkumab) is a fully human anti-interleukin (IL)-23 monoclonal antibody developed by Janssen. The HuCAL antibody library technology was used to generate the guselkumab antibody under license from MorphoSys. IL-23 is a pro-inflammatory protein which has been identified as a cytokine in autoimmune diseases. According to scientific literature, IL-23 is found in the skin of patients with psoriasis and in other inflammatory diseases. It is therefore considered a potential treatment target for inflammatory diseases.

Guselkumab is being developed by MorphoSys’s licensee Janssen for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and for patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and for several other indications.

The therapeutic field

Targeting psoriasis

Psoriasis is an inflammatory autoimmune disease of the skin. These inflamed skin patches may vary in severity from small and localized to complete body coverage. There are five main types of psoriasis: plaque, guttate, inverse, pustular, and erythrodermic. Plaque psoriasis, also known as psoriasis vulgaris, makes up about 90% of cases. It typically presents with red, itchy and scaly patches with white scales on top (plaques). Psoriasis is usually chronic and has a high morbidity and negative impact on patients’ quality of life. In 2015 prevalence of the disease was 16 million patients in the seven major countries (USA, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Great Britain), as estimated by independent market experts.