Veteran musician Art Garfunkel recently opened up about his lifelong battle with psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune skin condition. Throughout his career, Garfunkel managed to hide the disease using various treatments like creams and UV light therapy, though these offered only short-term relief. The discomfort grew severe enough to force him to step back from performing during his time with Paul Simon. More recently, Garfunkel found significant improvement with Ilumya (tildrakizumab-asmn), a biologic treatment. He has now partnered with Sun Pharma in the “I LUV YA for The Long Haul” campaign, aiming to raise awareness about the emotional toll of psoriasis and encourage others to seek effective care.
Advances in psoriasis treatment continue to offer hope for millions affected by the condition. New options include both oral medications and biologic therapies that provide more effective and convenient solutions. One promising development is icotrokinra (JNJ-2113), an investigational oral drug created through a collaboration between Protagonist Therapeutics and Johnson & Johnson. Clinical trials showed that icotrokinra performed better than Bristol Myers Squibb’s Sotyktu (deucravacitinib) in clearing plaque psoriasis and reducing inflammation. The news boosted Protagonist Therapeutics’ stock by nearly 46 percent, reflecting strong market interest. If approved, icotrokinra could offer patients a highly effective oral alternative to injectable treatments.
Another recent advance is spesolimab (Spevigo), an interleukin-36 receptor antagonist approved by the FDA in September 2022 for adults with generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP). GPP is a rare and severe form of psoriasis that causes widespread pustules and systemic inflammation. Data presented at the American Academy of Dermatology 2025 meeting showed that Spevigo significantly improved patients’ quality of life. Scores measuring the impact of the disease dropped from levels indicating a “very large effect” on daily life to a “small effect” after 48 weeks of treatment. These findings suggest Spevigo can provide meaningful relief for patients with this difficult condition.
Experts emphasize the importance of adequately treating psoriasis not only to ease symptoms but also to address the systemic inflammation involved. John Barbieri, Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School, told the National Psoriasis Foundation that the immune system’s malfunction in psoriasis affects more than just the skin. He said the goal should be “true clearance and good control” of the disease, highlighting that modern treatments make this achievable.
As new therapies emerge, the outlook for psoriasis patients continues to improve. Treatments like Bimzelx (bimekizumab) and Tremfya (guselkumab) are expanding long-term management options, while ongoing research broadens the range of effective treatments. With more targeted therapies available, patients now have greater chances to achieve healthier skin and better quality of life. The future looks promising for those living with psoriasis.
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