Vunakizumab, a novel humanised IgG1/k monoclonal antibody that targets interleukin-17A, has been approved in China as a new treatment option for adults with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. The drug, marketed as 安达静®, is profiled in an open-access article published in Drugs & Therapy Perspectives on 1 September 2026.
Chronic plaque psoriasis is an inflammatory skin condition that can cause a substantial reduction in a patient’s quality of life. Vunakizumab works by blocking one of the key inflammatory cascades that drives the disease, intercepting the IL-17A signalling pathway that contributes to the formation of psoriatic plaques.
The approval rests on evidence from a pivotal phase 3 trial. In that study, vunakizumab significantly increased the proportions of patients who achieved reductions in the extent and severity of their psoriasis compared with placebo at week 12 of treatment.
Complete or near complete clearance of psoriasis symptoms and lesions also occurred significantly more frequently among vunakizumab recipients than among placebo recipients at week 12, according to the profile of the drug’s use.
Beyond measures of skin clearance, the phase 3 trial showed that vunakizumab improved quality of life compared with placebo, an outcome of particular relevance in a condition that carries a substantial quality-of-life burden.
Treatment response proved durable. Complete or near complete clearance of symptoms and lesions was maintained in the majority of patients through to week 52, indicating that the initial benefit of the 12-week induction period was sustained during ongoing maintenance therapy.
On safety, vunakizumab was generally well tolerated through the 12-week induction therapy period. No new safety signals were reported in the maintenance therapy period through to week 52, according to the article.
Taken together, the trial results and the tolerability profile support the conclusion that vunakizumab represents a new and efficacious treatment option for patients with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis in China, adding an anti-IL-17A agent to the therapeutic landscape for adults eligible for systemic therapy or phototherapy.
Subject of Research: Approval and clinical profile of the anti-IL-17A monoclonal antibody vunakizumab for moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis in China
Article Title: Vunakizumab in moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis: a profile of its use
Article References: Fung, S. (2026). Vunakizumab in moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis: a profile of its use. Drugs & Therapy Perspectives. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40267-026-01271-8
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.1007/s40267-026-01271-8
Keywords: vunakizumab, psoriasis, IL-17A, monoclonal antibody, phase 3 trial, China approval, chronic plaque psoriasis, drug profile, biologic therapy, skin clearance, moderate-to-severe, chronic
News Source: Ophelia Keating. (October 28, 2026). Vunakizumab Approved in China for Moderate-to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis. Scienmag.
