The drug achieved acceptable safety and tolerance, but not enough efficacy to continue development.

Ventyx Biosciences has announced it is halting development of an experimental psoriasis drug due to missed internal targets required for it to advance beyond Phase 2, according to the company.

The drug, VTX958, had shown acceptable safety and efficacy, and had achevied with its 225 mg BID and 300 mg BID doses a statistically significant improvement in the primary endpoint and all key secondary endpoints. 

"“While the Phase 2 trial of VTX958 in plaque psoriasis met the primary and key secondary endpoints, we are disappointed by the magnitude of efficacy observed, despite having achieved target levels of drug exposure in the trial,” said Raju Mohan, PhD, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, in a news release. “Although these results do not support further development of VTX958 in the highly competitive psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis indications, I want to thank the patients and investigators for their participation. I would also like to thank the Ventyx team for their diligence and dedication in executing these trials.”

Phase 2 of the SERENITY study was a 16-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of four oral doses of VTX958 (50 mg BID, 300 mg BID, 225 mg BID, and 300 mg BID) in patients with moderate- to severe plaque psoriasis. The primary study endpoint was the proportion of patients acheiveing a 75% reduction in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) at Week 16. 

The ongoing Phase 2 trial in Chron's disease will continue to enroll, according to the company.