Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd (TAK) delivered some seriously good news Thursday for the millions of people dealing with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. The company's experimental once-daily pill, zasocitinib (also known as TAK-279), crushed its two pivotal Phase 3 trials, meeting every single endpoint the researchers threw at it.
The Numbers Tell a Compelling Story
Here's what matters: zasocitinib beat placebo on both co-primary endpoints at the 16-week mark. We're talking about static Physician Global Assessment (sPGA) scores of 0/1, meaning clear or almost-clear skin, and PASI 75 scores, which measure a 75% improvement in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index. But the really interesting part is how fast it worked. Patients saw significantly greater PASI 75 response rates as early as week 4, and those improvements kept climbing through week 24.
The drug didn't just edge out placebo, though. It also outperformed Amgen Inc.'s (AMGN) Otezla (apremilast), the current oral treatment option, across all 44 ranked secondary endpoints. That includes the tougher targets like PASI 90, PASI 100 (complete skin clearance), and sPGA 0 (totally clear skin). If you're keeping score at home, that's a clean sweep.
Safety Profile Holds Up
The safety data looks reassuring. Zasocitinib was generally well-tolerated in these Phase 3 studies, and the safety profile stayed consistent with earlier trials, including the Phase 2b plaque psoriasis study. No major surprises emerged, which is exactly what you want to see when you're gearing up for regulatory submissions.
Takeda plans to present the full results at upcoming medical conferences and intends to file a New Drug Application with the FDA and other regulatory authorities starting in fiscal year 2026. That's the official timeline, anyway.
The Broader Pipeline
Zasocitinib isn't done proving itself yet. The drug is currently being tested head-to-head against Bristol-Myers Squibb & Co.'s (BMY) Sotyktu (deucravacitinib) in plaque psoriasis. There are also Phase 3 studies underway in psoriatic arthritis and Phase 2 trials exploring Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and other inflammatory conditions. If those pan out, zasocitinib could become a workhorse across multiple indications.
What the Charts Say
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited is showing mixed technical signals right now. The stock trades above its 20-day and 50-day simple moving averages, suggesting some short-term momentum, but it's sitting below the 100-day and 200-day SMAs, which points to weaker longer-term trends.
The Relative Strength Index sits at 56.78, firmly in neutral territory. That means the stock isn't overbought or oversold, and traders should watch for the next directional move. Meanwhile, the MACD indicator sits above its signal line, hinting at bullish momentum that could continue if buying pressure holds up.
Key technical levels to watch: support at $14.50 and resistance at $15.50. A break below support could signal further weakness, while pushing through resistance might indicate a trend reversal. Worth noting: a death cross formed in November when the 50-day SMA crossed below the 200-day SMA, typically a bearish signal that warrants caution.
Over the past year, Takeda shares have gained 13.46%, reflecting a generally positive longer-term trend despite recent choppiness. The stock currently sits at 71.8% of its 52-week range, closer to its highs than its lows.
Price Action: Takeda shares were up 2.80% at $14.87 at the time of publication on Thursday.