May 9 (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ ) said on

Friday its experimental psoriasis drug met the main goal of a

late-stage study, as the once-daily pill helped patients achieve

clear or almost clear skin.

The drugmaker has been working on more convenient treatment

options as its injectable psoriasis drug Stelara, which gained

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

from cheaper rivals.

J&J said last month it expects the drug, icotrokinra, to

generate sales of $700 million in 2028.

BTIG analyst Julian Harrison expects icotrokinra to

"complement rather than disrupt" market leaders, including J&J's

Tremfya and AbbVie's ( ABBV ) Skyrizi.

Icotrokinra helped 66% of patients with scalp psoriasis and

77% of those with genital psoriasis achieve significantly clear

skin compared to 11% and 21% success rate in patients on

placebo, respectively, J&J said.

The drug was administered to patients 12 years and older

with at least moderate plaque psoriasis affecting "high-impact"

areas, including the scalp and genitals, for 16 weeks.

Plaque psoriasis, an immune-mediated condition characterized

by thick, scaly patches or plaques, is the most common type of

psoriasis. Psoriasis is estimated to affect more than 7.5

million adults in the United States.

The study enrolled 311 patients, who were randomly chosen to

receive either icotrokinra or placebo for a period of 16 weeks.

J&J is developing the drug with partner Protagonist

Therapeutics ( PTGX ).

Icotrokinra is designed to block a protein, IL-23, involved

in inflammatory responses and is being tested as a potential

treatment for other inflammatory conditions, such as ulcerative

colitis.

In a separate late-stage study last year, the drug showed

significant skin clearance in patients with moderate-to-severe

plaque psoriasis.