Early US dermatologist's views of Tremfya leave ground to be covered

At two weeks post launch, only half of the surveyed US dermatologists (n=104) were aware of Tremfya's (guselkumab) approval when aided. The drug was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration on July 13 as a treatment for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

Furthermore, less than one in five report high familiarity with the most recently launched biologic and fewer than one in 10 have prescribed Tremfya, from healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson's (NYSE: JNJ) biopharmaceutical arm Janssen Biotech, a new report by Spherix Global Insights shows. However, despite room for growth in terms of awareness, future projections are positive, with over one-third of current non-users anticipating trial within the next three months.

Possible barriers to rapid uptake will come in the form of differentiation from the existing biologics, namely Janssen's own Stelara, as well as from the IL-17 inhibitors, Novartis' (NOVN: VX) Cosentyx (secukinumab) and Eli Lilly's (NYSE: LLY) Taltz (ixekizumab). In response to Tremfya's launch, one respondent questioned, "What contribution does Tremfya provide in a sea of psoriasis options?"  While close to half of the respondents feel that Tremfya is a significant advance over the TNF inhibitors and Celgene's (Nasdaq: CELG) Otezla (apremilast), only one in five believe it is a significant advance over the interleukin (IL)-17 inhibitors or J&J’s Stelara (ustekinumab).