By Jason Chau
Shares of Takeda Pharmaceuticals rose after the Japanese pharmaceutical major announced positive results from clinical trials of its new treatment for plaque psoriasis.
The stock climbed 4.3% in early Tokyo trade Friday to reach a three-month high before pulling back slightly. It is on course for its biggest single-day gain since April.
The benchmark Nikkei Stock Average was last up 1.2%.
Takeda's gains came after it said its drug candidate zasocitinib delivered positive results in Phase 3 studies, the final stage of clinical trials before regulatory approval.
The new drug is designed to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, a condition that causes raised, itchy and painful skin patches covered by scales. An estimated 64 million people globally have psoriasis with 80%-90% of them having plaque psoriasis specifically, medical studies show.
The drug, delivered in a once-a-day pill, achieved complete or near-complete clearance of skin lesions in more than half of the trial participants, Takeda said Thursday.
The drugmaker said it plans to submit a new drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the 2026 fiscal year.
"[The results represent] best-in-class data and leaves quite a positive impression, as we believe expectations for the drug were not particularly high," said Citi Research analyst Hidemaru Yamaguchi in a note.
The bank forecasts annual sales of 150 billion yen, or $964.3 million, for the drug, with its launch expected in the fiscal year ending March 2027.
Write to Jason Chau at jason.chau@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 18, 2025 22:17 ET (03:17 GMT)
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