Johnson & Johnson will launch its first-in-class interleukin-23 inhibitor Tremfya (guselkumab) at a premium price that is nonetheless competitive with other new biologic entrants for moderate-to-sever plaque psoriasis. The company announced the FDA approval of Tremfya July 13, with plans to launch the drug within two weeks.
Tremfya will join a crowded market for psoriasis drugs, one that has grown even more so in the last two years, with the launch of a new class of biologics that block IL-17, including Novartis AG's Cosentyx (secukinumab) in 2015, Eli Lilly & Co.'s Taltz (ixekizumab) in 2016 and Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc.'s Siliq (brodalumab) in 2017