Sept 17 (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) said on

Wednesday its experimental psoriasis drug has shown superior

skin clearance compared to Bristol Myers Squibb's ( BMY )

Sotyktu in two late-stage head-to-head trials.

J&J has been working on more convenient treatment options

for psoriasis as its injectable drug Stelara, which recorded

over $10 billion in sales last year, faces stiff competition

from cheaper rivals.

The drugmaker said its oral pill, icotrokinra, met both main

and secondary goals when compared to placebo and Bristol's

Sotyktu at weeks 16 and 24 in adult patients in the trials.

Icotrokinra also showed similar adverse event rates to

placebo with no new safety signals.

Bristol's Sotyktu is already approved to treat adults with

moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for

systemic therapy. The drug generated $246 million in sales in

2024. J&J had previously said it expected icotrokinra to

generate sales of $700 million in 2028.

J&J is testing its drug in adult and pediatric patients 12

years of age and older with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis,

which is an immune-mediated condition characterized by thick,

scaly patches or plaques.

Over 8 million people in the U.S. have psoriasis, according

to the National Psoriasis Foundation.

J&J's oral pill is designed to block a protein, IL-23,

involved in inflammatory responses and is developed in

partnership with Protagonist Therapeutics.

J&J said it has also begun a late-stage head-to-head

study to compare icotrokinra with its blockbuster Stelara.