TYK2 Inhibitors
6 drugsAbout TYK2
Tyrosine Kinase 2 (TYK2) is an intracellular non-receptor tyrosine kinase involved in cytokine signaling pathways. It plays a crucial role in mediating cellular responses to interferons and interleukins, influencing immune cell development and function.
TYK2 is a genetically validated drug target with strong evidence from human studies (max score 0.91). Loss-of-function variants in TYK2 are protective against rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and COVID-19, supporting inhibition as a therapeutic strategy.
Six small molecule drugs targeting TYK2 are FDA-approved, including XELJANZ, ANZUPGO, OLUMIANT and SOTYKTU. These drugs are marketed by companies such as Pfizer, Eli Lilly, and Bristol-Myers Squibb, primarily for immunology indications.
TYK2 Genetic Evidence Strong
TYK2 has strong genetic support with a maximum score of 0.91 across 38 diseases.
The strong genetic validation for TYK2 increases the probability of clinical success.
💡 Why inhibition?
- • Loss-of-function variants reduce disease risk (OR < 1)
- • 100% directional consistency across 3 traits
- • Strong signal in immune system disease, musculoskeletal or connective tissue disease, phenotype pathways
Cross-Disease Effects
Trade-off: LowDirection of Effect
100% alignedEvidence Across Diseases
20 totalGWAS and other genetic studies link TYK2 to 38 diseases.
Inhibiting this target may be therapeutic
Inhibiting this target may be therapeutic
🔗 Colocalization Evidence 20 strong
max H4: 1.00eQTL/pQTL signals for TYK2 colocalize with these GWAS traits, providing causal evidence that gene expression changes drive disease risk.
Understanding these scores
Association Score (0-1): Combines all evidence types (genetic, literature, drugs, animal models). Higher = more evidence linking target to disease. This is a ranking heuristic, not a confidence score.
L2G Score: Open Targets uses a machine learning model (Locus-to-Gene) to predict which gene is causal at each GWAS locus. L2G=0.5 means ~50% probability of being the causal gene. Only associations with L2G > 0.05 are included.
Odds Ratio (OR): From gene burden studies (UK Biobank, AstraZeneca PheWAS). Measures how loss-of-function variants affect disease risk. OR<1 = protective (inhibiting target may help), OR>1 = risk (losing function causes disease).
Beta (β): Effect size for continuous traits. β<0 = protective, β>0 = risk.
Clinical Translation (~1.8x): Based on Nelson et al. 2015: drug targets with genetic evidence have ~2x higher success rates in clinical trials. We estimate: Strong support (score ≥0.7) → ~1.8x, Moderate (0.3-0.7) → ~1.3x, Weak → baseline.
Colocalization (H4): Tests whether a GWAS signal and an eQTL/pQTL signal share the same causal variant. H4 is the posterior probability that both traits are associated AND share a causal variant. H4 > 0.8 = strong evidence that gene expression/protein levels drive disease risk. This links genetic variation → gene expression → disease, supporting the target-disease connection.
Top TYK2 Drugs
Six companies have approved TYK2-targeting drugs, including PF PRISM CV, LEO PHARMA AS, Pfizer, Eli Lilly, and Bristol-Myers Squibb.
The presence of multiple established players indicates a moderately competitive market.
| Drug | Company | Approved | Indications |
|---|---|---|---|
| XELJANZ XR | Pfizer | 2016 | 5 |
| LEQSELVI | Sun Pharma | 2024 | 1 |
| SOTYKTU | Bristol-Myers Squibb | 2022 | 1 |
TYK2 Drug Modality Landscape
Modalities
Routes of Administration
TYK2 is amenable to small molecule drugs, with oral options available for convenient dosing.
The exclusive use of small molecules suggests an opportunity for alternative modalities like antibodies.
TYK2 Clinical Trials 259 trials
Phase 1-4 trials started in 2008 or later that test an FDA-approved drug acting on TYK2. Source: ClinicalTrials.gov. How we count
Completion by Phase
| Phase | Total | Completed | Stopped | Active | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 50 | 40 | 1 | 9 | 98% |
| Phase 2 | 91 | 38 | 15 | 38 | 72% |
| Phase 3 | 81 | 38 | 8 | 35 | 83% |
| Phase 4 | 37 | 18 | 4 | 15 | 82% |
Top Sponsors
By Modality
Top Conditions
Phase 3 Readout Calendar Pro
7 Phase 3 trials testing approved TYK2 drugs across all sponsors.
Coverage: trials whose intervention is an approved drug targeting TYK2. Pre-approval candidates with development codes (e.g. AZD0901, MK-7240) are not yet linked. Anchored on CT.gov primary completion date.
TYK2 Drug Approval Timeline (2012 - 2025)
The first TYK2-targeting drug was approved in 2012, with the most recent approval in 2025.
The continued approvals suggest sustained interest and potential for further market growth.
Pro Intelligence Preview
Deep insights for drug target analysis
Competitive Landscape
- • 5 companies competing
- • Market share by company
Full Drug Portfolio
- • All 6 approved drugs
- • Approval dates & indications
Genetic Validation
- • Full genetic evidence table
- • Effect sizes & directions
Approval Timeline
- • Full 6-drug timeline
- • First-of-modality markers
Clinical Trials Analysis
- • Sponsors: 114 (21 companies)
- • Completion rates by condition
Full summary • All drugs • Genetic evidence • Trials • Timeline
How We Count Trials
- Trials: phase 1-4 interventional trials on ClinicalTrials.gov that started in 2008 or later and test an FDA-approved drug acting on TYK2. A trial counts if an approved drug acting on TYK2 is in any arm, including as a comparator, and a trial that tests two such drugs counts once. Trials that test only unapproved drugs are not counted. A trial listed as phase 1/2 counts as phase 1, and phase 2/3 as phase 2.
- Active: recruiting, not yet recruiting, enrolling by invitation, or active and no longer recruiting.
- Completion rate: of the trials that have ended, the share marked Completed rather than Terminated or Withdrawn. Completed means the trial ended as planned; it does not mean the drug worked. Suspended trials are not counted as ended.
- Stopped: terminated or withdrawn. Trials stop for many reasons, including slow enrolment and business decisions, not only safety or efficacy.
- Sponsors: the lead sponsor of each trial. Companies are the sponsors ClinicalTrials.gov classes as industry; the rest are universities, hospitals, cooperative groups, government bodies and individuals.