Merck's Tulisokibart Meets Primary Endpoint in Phase 2b Hidradenitis Suppurativa Study

08:53 AM EDT, 09/30/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Merck (MRK) said Tuesday its investigational tulisokibart met the primary endpoint in a phase 2b study evaluating the treatment in patients with moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa. At week 16, HiSCR50 was achieved by 72% of patients in the high-dose group and 64% in the medium-dose group, versus 35% for placebo, the company said. The study's non-ranked key secondary endpoints showed numerical improvements over placebo. HiSCR75 rates were 41% and 40% for the high- and medium-dose groups, respectively, versus 15% for placebo. The study also showed numerical quality-of-life improvements, with DLQI reductions of 5.62 points for high-dose and 3.50 points for medium-dose patients, versus 2.46 points for placebo. Safety was comparable between the tulisokibart and placebo groups, Merck said. The company added that the results will inform phase 3 development of tulisokibart in hidradenitis suppurativa.