MorphoSys AG has announced that its licensee Janssen Research & Development, LLC (Janssen) reported data from the phase 3 VOYAGE 2 study of Tremfya (guselkumab), which demonstrated long-term skin clearance in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

Tremfya is a fully human anti-IL-23 monoclonal antibody developed by Janssen and was generated utilizing MorphoSys's proprietary HuCAL technology.

The data were presented at the 2018 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting in San Diego, California on Saturday, February 17.

According to a press release published by Janssen on February 16, 2018, 86% of patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis receiving Tremfya who achieved at least 90% improvement in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 90) at week 28, maintained a PASI 90 response with continuous treatment through week 72. Only 11.5 percent of patients who were withdrawn from treatment maintained PASI 90 response. Furthermore, according to Janssen, 87.6% of patients originally randomized to Tremfya, but withdrawn from treatment at week 28, regained a PASI 90 response within six months of initiating Tremfya retreatment. Janssen reported further that no new safety signals were observed with continuous treatment or retreatment therapy with Tremfya through week 100.

Dr. Simon Moroney, chief executive officer of MorphoSys AG, commented: "We are very pleased about the data presented by Janssen at the AAD 2018. The long-term efficacy and durability data demonstrated by Tremfya in Janssen's VOYAGE 2 study are encouraging. We expect this drug will continue to provide an important treatment option for patients living with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis."