Takeda Advances Zasocitinib Phase 3 Trial in Psoriatic Arthritis: What Investors Should Know

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company (TAK) announced an update on their ongoing clinical study.

Takeda’s latest phase 3 study, officially titled “A Multi-Center, Randomized, Double-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Phase 3 Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Zasocitinib (TAK-279) in Subjects With Active Psoriatic Arthritis Stratified by Prior Biologic Use (LATITUDE-PsA-3002),” aims to show how well its oral drug zasocitinib works and how safe it is for adults with active psoriatic arthritis. The study compares outcomes in patients who have and have not used biologic drugs before, a key question for long-term treatment planning and market positioning in this crowded autoimmune space.

The main treatment being tested is zasocitinib (also known as TAK-279 or NDI-034858), an oral tablet taken once daily. It is designed to reduce joint pain, swelling, and skin symptoms in psoriatic arthritis. The study also uses a matching placebo in early treatment to provide a fair comparison, before all patients eventually move onto active drug.

The trial is interventional and randomized, meaning participants are assigned by chance to different treatment groups. It uses a parallel design with several arms running at the same time. The study is double-blind and actually masks four groups—patients, doctors, site staff, and outcome assessors—so no one knows who is on active drug or placebo during the blinded phase. The primary goal is treatment-focused: to see whether zasocitinib improves disease signs and symptoms compared with placebo.

Participants receive one of two daily doses of zasocitinib or a placebo tablet. Those on placebo stay on it through about Week 16, then switch to zasocitinib for the remainder of the roughly 52-week treatment period. Total participation lasts up to about 60 weeks, giving Takeda enough time to track both benefits and safety signals in real-world-like use.

The study was first submitted on October 31, 2024, marking the formal start of its regulatory record and signaling to investors that Takeda had advanced TAK-279 into a late-stage psoriatic arthritis program. The trial is currently listed as “recruiting,” indicating that enrollment is underway but top-line data are still some distance away. The most recent update was filed on January 27, 2026, which suggests the protocol or status has been reviewed and kept current—usually a sign that operations are active and the program remains a priority. Primary completion and overall completion dates have not been posted yet, which is typical at this stage but means investors should view revenue impact as a medium- to long-term event.

From a market standpoint, this study supports Takeda’s bid to build a meaningful presence in autoimmune diseases with an oral small-molecule option that could sit alongside or, in some cases, compete with injectable biologics. Positive phase 3 data in psoriatic arthritis would strengthen the TAK-279 franchise, which is being watched as a possible multi-indication asset. That could lift sentiment on Takeda (TAK) by improving its growth narrative beyond mature franchises. For investors, the key questions are whether zasocitinib can show clear, durable benefit and a clean safety profile versus current standards like TNF and IL-17 inhibitors, and how it might stack up against other emerging oral therapies in development at large pharma and biotech rivals. While near-term earnings impact is limited, ongoing progress in this trial reduces development risk and supports a more constructive long-term view on Takeda’s immunology pipeline.

The study remains active and updated, with further details available on the ClinicalTrials.gov portal under its registered identifier.

To learn more about TAK’s potential, visit the Takeda Pharmaceutical Company drug pipeline page.