Sotyktu’s Psoriatic Arthritis Launch Builds Gradually in Month Two as Rheumatologists Continue to Take Measured Approach to TYK2 Adoption, According to Spherix Global Insights

Despite incremental gains in awareness and prescribing, most launch metrics continue to trail recent rheumatology benchmarks, underscoring both the challenges and strategic importance of the first TYK2 inhibitor launch in rheumatology.

Exton, PA, May 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Data collected between May 4 and May 9, 2026 through Spherix Global Insights’ Launch Dynamix™ service suggest Bristol Myers Squibb’s Sotyktu (deucravacitinib) is beginning to gain traction in psoriatic arthritis (PsA), though most commercial metrics continue to perform toward the lower end of recent rheumatology launch benchmarks at the two-month mark. While physician awareness and trial are gradually improving, rheumatologists still appear to be cautiously evaluating the oral TYK2 inhibitor as they determine where it best fits within the increasingly crowded PsA treatment landscape.

Among 75 U.S. rheumatologists surveyed, one-third now report having initiated at least one PsA patient on Sotyktu, up from 20% during the first month following launch. Mean patient initiations also increased modestly month-over-month, while projected future share expectations continue to rise. Despite these gains, Sotyktu remains behind launches such as Rinvoq (AbbVie), Skyrizi (AbbVie), and Bimzelx (UCB) across most early utilization benchmarks evaluated by Spherix at comparable launch stages.

Current patient share for Sotyktu in PsA remains expectedly low, reinforcing that prescribing activity is still highly limited at this stage of the launch. At the same time, rheumatologists continue to forecast a substantially larger long-term role for the brand, with projected peak patient share approaching 15%. The sizable disconnect between physicians’ current candidate pools and their longer-term peak share expectations suggests many specialists see meaningful future opportunity for Sotyktu but are waiting for additional experience, comfort, and real-world data before expanding use more aggressively.

In several key commercial metrics, including initiation activity, launch perceptions, and physician familiarity, the only benchmark launch performing comparably or worse than Sotyktu in PsA remains Sotyktu’s own psoriasis debut, reinforcing a pattern of gradual rather than explosive uptake for the TYK2 inhibitor franchise.

“The launch is still in its very early stages, though uptake thus far has been more gradual than seen with several recent rheumatology launches.” said Ryan Rex, Senior Director at Spherix Global Insights. “That said, the early commercial performance is particularly important to watch given the broader ambitions for Sotyktu across rheumatology and immunology. Bristol Myers Squibb has significant long-term expectations for the TYK2 franchise, and physician receptivity in PsA could ultimately influence momentum for future line extensions and additional indications currently in development.”

Beyond utilization metrics, overall perceptions of the launch also remain somewhat restrained relative to recent rheumatology benchmarks. Manufacturer launch ratings continue to trail most comparator brands evaluated by Spherix at similar stages, suggesting rheumatologists have yet to view the rollout as fully breaking through in the crowded PsA marketplace. At the same time, payer perceptions remain mixed, with many physicians continuing to characterize access conditions as challenging early in the launch cycle.

Still, Spherix notes that the PsA launch remains exceptionally early, and rheumatology launches often evolve significantly over time as physicians accumulate practical experience and confidence with a new therapy. Satisfaction among current Sotyktu prescribers remains favorable, and physicians continue to project gradual share expansion over the next six months.

Importantly, Sotyktu’s performance in PsA is being closely watched well beyond Bristol Myers Squibb’s own portfolio. As the first TYK2 inhibitor to establish a commercial foothold in rheumatology, Sotyktu may help shape physician perceptions of the broader TYK2 mechanism across immune-mediated diseases. Multiple next-generation TYK2 inhibitors are currently advancing through development across immunology and rheumatology-related indications, including Takeda’s zasocitinib, Alumis’ envudeucitinib, Priovant’s brepocitinib, and Pfizer’s ropsacitinib. While several of these TYK2-targeting assets are already being actively evaluated in PsA and psoriasis, other developers have highlighted PsA as a future expansion opportunity alongside ongoing or planned development across a range of rheumatologic and autoimmune diseases, including axial spondyloarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, and Sjögren’s disease.

As a result, Sotyktu’s early rheumatology experience may ultimately serve as an important commercial and clinical proof point not only for Bristol Myers Squibb, but for the broader TYK2 class as developers seek to position these agents against increasingly entrenched biologics and JAK inhibitors across immunology.

About Launch Dynamix™

Launch Dynamix™ is an independent service providing monthly benchmarking of newly launched products for the first eighteen months of commercial availability, augmented by a quarterly deep dive into promotional activity, barriers to uptake, and patient types gravitating to the launch brand.

About Spherix Global Insights

Spherix Global Insights is a leading independent provider of market intelligence and advisory services for specialty pharmaceutical and biotech markets. By combining physician, patient, and payer perspectives into a single integrated view, Spherix helps brand teams, market access stakeholders, and investors understand how a specialty market actually behaves, not how any one stakeholder describes it. The firm operates eight dedicated therapeutic franchises – Central Nervous System, Dermatology, Gastroenterology, Hematology, Nephrology, Oncology, Ophthalmology, and Rheumatology – alongside a fully dedicated Market Access team. Each franchise is led by hyper-focused analysts and researchers who track these specialty areas full-time, drawing on independently curated communities of vetted practicing specialists, KOLs, patients recruited through treating physicians and advocacy partners, and medical and pharmacy directors at commercial and government payers. Spherix delivers quarterly trending, launch tracking, chart audits, KOL synthesis, patient experience research, and payer and market access intelligence that support confident, strategic decision-making across the pharma lifecycle. Trusted by 19 of the top 20 pharmaceutical and biotech organizations, Spherix has been a go-to resource for more than a decade for leading brands, market access stakeholders, industry media outlets, financial analysts, professional organizations, and patient advocacy groups seeking an unbiased, holistic view of specialty markets.

To learn more, visit spherixglobalinsights.com or connect on LinkedIn.

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NOTICE: All company, brand, or product names in this press release are trademarks of their respective holders. The findings and opinions expressed within are based on Spherix Global Insights’ analysis and do not imply a relationship with or endorsement of the companies or brands mentioned in this press release.

Lynn Price
Spherix Global Insights
484-879-4284
lynn.price@spherixglobalinights.com

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