Is Eli Lilly's Taltz the Next Blockbuster Drug for Psoriasis?

Eli Lilly’s new psoriasis drug Taltz (ixekizumab) is set to generate sales in excess of $1 billion in the US and Europe by 2022 due to its efficacy and good safety profile, according to an analyst at GlobalData.

The last six years have seen an influx of novel plaque psoriasis treatments outside mainstay anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapies including Cosentyx, the first-to market interleukin-17A (IL-17A) inhibitor launched in 2015, has shown superior efficacy over other approved biologics including the anti-TNF therapy Enbrel.

“Taltz has a shared mechanism of action with Cosentyx, and GlobalData anticipates it could be used ahead of a TNF inhibitor in biologic- and/or TNF-naïve patients in the psoriasis space. Although it will be competing with Cosentyx, which has a significant first-to-market advantage, Taltz offers more convenient dosing,” says Alexandra Annis, MSc, GlobalData’s Immunology analyst. “The recommended dosing for Taltz is an initial 160 milligrams (mg) subcutaneous (SC) injection followed by an 80mg SC injection once every two weeks for 12 weeks, then 80mg every four weeks. In comparison, 300mg of SC Cosentyx is administered once a week, followed by 300mg every four weeks. In this way, Taltz will hold an edge in the anti-IL-17A market for psoriasis.” 

Within the anti-IL17 class, Valeant’s brodalumab, which is in pre-registration in the US and Europe for plaque psoriasis, may pose a threat to Taltz  “Despite the competition, GlobalData anticipates Taltz will become a blockbuster therapy due to its exceptionally high clinical efficacy.” Stay tuned.