Plus alliances involving Formosa/Cristalia, Renalys/Travere, Astellas/Vivtex, Zydus/Synthon, AFT/Hyloris and Astellas/Mass General Brigham hospital.

Johnson & Johnson’s historical strength in immunology will form the foundation of a renewed push in the field, with novel candidates for indications such as psoriasis, arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

The partners’ orally administered IL-23R inhibitor met all primary and secondary endpoints in a Phase IIb plaque psoriasis trial, justifying advancement to Phase III even though its efficacy fell short of available injectables according to cross-trial comparisons.

The company’s late-breaker data suggests it is on the path to success in polycythemia vera, but cancer fears must be addressed with ongoing longer-term study.