INCY Announces New Late-Stage Data on Skin Disease Drug

Core Insights - Incyte (INCY) announced new 24-week interim data from the STOP-HS program for its pipeline candidate, povorcitinib, in adult patients with moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) [1][7] - The data will be presented at the EADV 2025 Congress, supporting planned regulatory submissions in Europe and the United States in 2025 and early 2026, respectively [2][4] Pipeline and Clinical Data - Povorcitinib is an oral small-molecule JAK1 selective inhibitor targeting HS, a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by painful nodules and abscesses [2] - The STOP-HS clinical trial program includes two phase III studies, STOP-HS1 and STOP-HS2, evaluating the efficacy and safety of povorcitinib [4] - New data showed that nearly 60% of efficacy-evaluable patients achieved Hidradenitis Suppurativa Clinical Response (HiSCR)50 at week 24 [5][7] - Patients treated with povorcitinib also reported significant improvements in skin pain, with 62-70% achieving mild or no pain at week 24 [8] Safety Profile - The overall safety profile of povorcitinib remained consistent, with both doses well tolerated across the trials [10] - Treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 42.4–54.3% of patients transitioning from placebo to povorcitinib at week 12, and in 70.2–78.7% of patients initially randomized to povorcitinib through week 24 [10] Market Performance - Year to date, Incyte's shares have gained 21.5%, outperforming the industry growth of 4.5% [2] - The successful development of povorcitinib is expected to significantly boost Incyte's revenue base, which is currently heavily dependent on its lead drug, Jakafi [12]