Takeda Pharmaceutical's (TAK) Canadian unit, Takeda Canada, said Tuesday that its investigational oral tyrosine kinase 2 inhibitor zasocitinib showed "statistical superiority" over deucravacitinib for the primary and key secondary endpoints in a phase 3 study in adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

The company said more than 35% of patients receiving zasocitinib achieved complete skin clearance, or PASI 100, at week 16, more than 2.5 times the response rate for deucravacitinib.

Takeda Canada said the safety profile of zasocitinib was consistent with previous studies, with no new safety signals identified.

The company said it plans to submit a new drug application for plaque psoriasis to the US Food and Drug Administration during the current fiscal year.

Shares of Takeda Pharmaceutical were up 1.3% in Tuesday premarket activity.