People living with psoriasis have been given fresh hope after US regulators approved a new once-daily pill that could offer an alternative to injections and creams.
The medication, known as Icotyde (icotrokinra), has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults and children aged 12 and over.
Developed by Johnson & Johnson, the drug is being hailed as a potential breakthrough because it is taken as a simple tablet and targets a specific part of the immune system responsible for driving the disease.
Plaque psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune condition that causes red, scaly patches of skin and affects millions of people worldwide.
While a number of effective treatments already exist, many require injections or regular hospital visits.
Clinical trials found that patients taking icotrokinra achieved significantly clearer skin compared to those given a placebo, with many maintaining improvements over extended periods.
The approval marks a major milestone for the drug, but patients in Spain will still have to wait before they can access it.
Johnson & Johnson submitted an application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in September 2025 seeking approval for the treatment across the European Union.
The application is currently under review, with industry analysts expecting a decision from European regulators sometime during the summer of 2026.
If the EMA issues a positive recommendation, the European Commission would then need to formally authorise the treatment before it can be marketed across EU member states, including Spain.
Even after approval, availability through Spain’s public health system could take additional months while pricing and reimbursement negotiations are completed.
For now, Spanish patients interested in the new treatment will need to wait for the outcome of the ongoing European review.
However, with the FDA already giving the green light and the EMA assessment understood to be progressing, experts believe the drug could become available in Europe before the end of the year.
For the millions of people affected by psoriasis, it represents one of the most promising new treatment options to emerge in recent years.
