Tildrakizumab: First Global Approval

Merck & Company Inc. have developed tildrakizumab (tildrakizumab-asmn; Ilumya (TM)), a high-affinity, humanised IgG1 kappa monoclonal antibody that specifically targets interleukin-23 p19, as a treatment for chronic plaque psoriasis. The drug was recently approved for marketing by the US FDA based on positive results from the phase III reSURFACE clinical trial programme in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis. This article summarizes the milestones in the development of tildrakizumab leading to this first approval for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy.