Exton, PA, July 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The launch of Bristol Myers Squibb's Sotyktu® (deucravacitinib) is doing more than introducing another treatment option for psoriatic arthritis (PsA), it is beginning to reshape how rheumatologists think about oral targeted therapies in a market long dominated by injectable biologics, according to the first quarterly Deep Dive from Spherix Global Insights' Launch Dynamix™: Sotyktu in Psoriatic Arthritis (US).
While launch adoption remains in its early stages, physicians are already identifying a distinct clinical niche for TYK2 inhibition. Rather than viewing Sotyktu simply as another oral therapy, rheumatologists are often positioning it between PDE4 inhibitors and JAK inhibitors, citing its novel mechanism, oral convenience, and favorable perceived safety profile as important differentiators.
One-third of surveyed rheumatologists have already prescribed Sotyktu for PsA, while most remaining non-users expect to initiate their first patient within the next six months. Early prescribing has focused primarily on moderate-to-severe patients who have experienced prior treatment failures, prefer oral therapy over injections, or may not be ideal candidates for JAK inhibitors. Overall, physicians estimate that approximately one in five PsA patients could ultimately be appropriate candidates for Sotyktu.
"The early launch suggests physicians are not simply replacing one oral therapy with another, they're beginning to establish a new position for TYK2 inhibition within the PsA treatment algorithm," said Ryan Rex, Senior Director of Rheumatology at Spherix Global Insights. "If physician confidence continues to build through real-world experience, TYK2 inhibitors have the potential to expand the oral treatment segment rather than simply redistribute share among existing therapies."
Physicians report that expected efficacy, Sotyktu's differentiated TYK2 mechanism, oral administration, and perceived safety profile are the leading drivers of adoption. Although rheumatologists continue to reserve IL-17 and TNF inhibitors for many patients with the highest efficacy needs, Sotyktu appears to be creating meaningful competitive pressure within the oral segment. Physicians most frequently cite Amgen's Otezla® (apremilast) and JAK inhibitors as the therapies most likely to lose share, while AbbVie's Rinvoq® (upadacitinib) served as the fallback therapy in 40% of recent Sotyktu initiations, an early signal that TYK2 inhibition could push JAK inhibitors further down the treatment algorithm as physician confidence grows.
Importantly, the research suggests current adoption is being constrained more by launch-stage dynamics than by concerns about the product itself. Lack of physician familiarity remains the leading barrier to broader use, followed by reimbursement hurdles and out-of-pocket costs. Nearly all initiated patients required prior authorization, with most plans requiring documented failure of TNF inhibitors and many also requiring prior IL-17 inhibitor use before approving therapy. Physicians consistently indicated they expect prescribing to increase as they gain additional clinical experience and payer access improves.
Beyond Sotyktu itself, the findings highlight broader implications for the evolving PsA market. As rheumatologists become increasingly comfortable with oral targeted therapies that combine convenient administration with differentiated mechanisms, the competitive landscape may continue shifting beyond traditional biologic-versus-oral treatment decisions. Future oral agents entering immunology, including additional TYK2 inhibitors and other targeted small molecules, may benefit from the pathway Sotyktu is helping establish.
The findings come from Launch Dynamix™: Sotyktu in Psoriatic Arthritis (US), Wave 1, which surveyed 75 U.S. rheumatologists from May 4-9, 2026, supplemented by qualitative interviews with practicing specialists.
About Launch Dynamix™
Launch Dynamix™ is an independent service providing monthly benchmarking of newly launched products for the first eighteen months of commercial availability, augmented by a quarterly deep dive into promotional activity, barriers to uptake, and patient types gravitating to the launch brand.
About Spherix Global Insights
Spherix Global Insights is a leading independent provider of market intelligence and advisory services for specialty pharmaceutical and biotech markets. By combining physician, patient, and payer perspectives into a single integrated view, Spherix helps brand teams, market access stakeholders, and investors understand how a specialty market actually behaves, not how any one stakeholder describes it. The firm operates eight dedicated therapeutic franchises – Central Nervous System, Dermatology, Gastroenterology, Hematology, Nephrology, Oncology, Ophthalmology, and Rheumatology – alongside a fully dedicated Market Access team. Each franchise is led by hyper-focused analysts and researchers who track these specialty areas full-time, drawing on independently curated communities of vetted practicing specialists, KOLs, patients recruited through treating physicians and advocacy partners, and medical and pharmacy directors at commercial and government payers. Spherix delivers quarterly trending, launch tracking, chart audits, KOL synthesis, patient experience research, and payer and market access intelligence that support confident, strategic decision-making across the pharma lifecycle. Trusted by 19 of the top 20 pharmaceutical and biotech organizations, Spherix has been a go-to resource for more than a decade for leading brands, market access stakeholders, industry media outlets, financial analysts, professional organizations, and patient advocacy groups seeking an unbiased, holistic view of specialty markets.
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Lynn Price Spherix Global Insights 484-879-4284 lynn.price@spherixglobalinights.com
