Sun Pharma's Ilumya Wins FDA Approval for Active Psoriatic Arthritis; Shares Rise 2.38%

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (SUNPHARMA.NS) said Friday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Ilumya for adults with active psoriatic arthritis, expanding the drug's use beyond plaque psoriasis. Shares rose 2.38% to INR1,802.90 on the NSE. Ilumya, or tildrakizumab-asmn, is a monoclonal antibody that selectively blocks interleukin-23. It was first approved in 2018 for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Psoriatic arthritis, a chronic immune-mediated disease causing joint pain, swelling and stiffness, affects about 2.4 million Americans. The approval is supported by the INSPIRE-1 and INSPIRE-2 Phase 3 studies evaluating Ilumya 100 mg over 52 weeks, with efficacy and safety assessed at week 24 after two doses. No new safety signals were identified; the most common adverse reactions were upper respiratory tract infections and COVID-19. Ilumya is also approved for plaque psoriasis in India, Australia, Canada, China and Japan, and sold as Ilumetri in Europe by Almirall.