In early April, AbbVie announced its submission to the US FDA for its selective interleukin (IL)-23 inhibitor, Skyrizi (risankizumab), for the indication of psoriatic arthritis (PsA). If approved, Skyrizi would be the second inhibitor available for the disease, however, Skyrizi is entering an increasingly crowded and competitive field with numerous existing branded agents and biosimilars set to launch in the coming years, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Skyrizi follows Janssen’s IL-12/23 inhibitor, Stelara (ustekinumab), and selective IL-23 inhibitor Tremfya (guselkumab). So far, key opinion leaders (KOLs) interviewed by GlobalData have had a generally positive reaction to the second generation of IL-23 therapies.

Tiffany Chan, Immunology Analyst at GlobalData comments: “Over the next ten years, Skyrizi is expected to have strong uptake in the PsA market based on AbbVie’s formidable marketing power and experience in the field. AbbVie has had a strong hold in the PsA market due to strong sales of Humira (adalimumab), which was approved in 2005. In 2015, Humira became the top-selling drug in the world for any indication. However, with Humira’s patent due to expire in 2023, Skyrizi’s approval will likely come at the perfect time to maintain AbbVie’s market share.

“Skyrizi’s annual cost of therapy (ACOT) is currently valued at $90,740, compared to Tremfya’s ACOT of $89,538. Despite being launched in a fairly mature market, if AbbVie is able to contract aggressively with pharmacy benefit managers, GlobalData expects that Skyrizi will still be able to stake a strong claim to the market. By 2028, Tremfya is expected to net $228m in the US and $429m globally in PsA sales.”

In January 2020, AbbVie reported that Skyrizi had demonstrated statistical significance over Novartis’ IL-17 inhibitor, Cosentyx (secukinumab), in the Phase III head-to-head IMMerge psoriasis trial (NCT03478787). Although many pivotal trials still use a placebo control, active comparator post-marketing trial results are expected to be a significant factor in new players establishing themselves in the field.

Chan adds: “AstraZeneca’s dual-combination offering will aim to replace salbutamol as the future of rescue therapy due to potential higher efficacy compared to single agent therapy. KOLs interviewed by GlobalData believe that combination agents will also improve patient compliance over the next decade.”