Novartis to start head-to-head trial of Cosentyx and Tremfya

Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS; SIX:NOVN) plans to begin the head-to-head Phase IIa ARROW trial to compare Cosentyx secukinumab to Tremfya guselkumab for 16 weeks in 40 patients with Stelara ustekinumab-resistant plaque psoriasis. The pharma expects to report data in 2019.

Novartis' Cosentyx is a human IgG1 mAb targeting IL-17A. Tremfya from Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is a human HuCAL mAb targeting the p19 subunit of IL-23 and J&J's Stelara is a human mAb that inhibits IL-12 and IL-23...