Merck's Tulisokibart Shines in Phase 2b Study for Hidradenitis Suppurativa

Merck has announced positive results from its Phase 2b study of tulisokibart, an investigational humanized monoclonal antibody targeting tumor necrosis factor-like cytokine 1A. The treatment demonstrated superiority over placebo in patients with moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa.

The study met its primary endpoint of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Clinical Response 50 at week 16, with 72% of high-dose and 64% of medium-dose tulisokibart regimens achieving HiSCR50. This represents a 37% and 29% improvement over the placebo group, respectively.

In an exploratory analysis, the low-dose group achieved a 52% response rate, a 17% improvement over placebo. The treatment also showed comparable safety to placebo groups in this trial, with adverse events occurring at similar rates across treatment groups.