Key takeaways

  • Sotyktu (deucravacitinib) is a prescription oral tablet used to treat plaque psoriasis in adults who may receive phototherapy or systemic treatment.
  • Common side effects of Sotyktu include mild upper respiratory infections, mouth sores, and acne. Other side effects include an increased risk of serious infections and cancer, so talk with your doctor about your health history before taking this medication.
  • Sotyktu works for plaque psoriasis by lowering inflammation (swelling or damage). Reaching the drug’s maximum effect and relieving your symptoms may take 4 to 6 months.

Sotyktu is prescribed for certain adults to treat plaque psoriasis that’s moderate or severe.

Sotyktu is an immunosuppressant (a drug that reduces the activity of your immune system). It’s important to note that Sotyktu is not recommended for use with other strong immunosuppressants. To learn more, see the “Uses for Sotyktu” section.

Sotyktu basics

Sotyktu contains the active ingredient deucravacitinib and belongs to a group of drugs called tyrosine kinase 2 blockers. Sotyktu is a small molecule drug, not a biologic. This means it’s made using chemical processes, unlike biologic drugs, which are made from living cells.

Sotyktu is available only as a brand-name drug. A generic version of the drug isn’t currently available.

Keep reading to learn more about Sotyktu, including the drug’s side effects, cost, uses, and more.

Like most drugs, Sotyktu may cause mild to serious side effects. The following lists contain some of the more common side effects, but they don’t include all possible side effects.

Keep in mind that side effects of a drug can depend on:

  • your age
  • other health conditions you have
  • other medications you take

Your doctor or pharmacist can explain the potential side effects of Sotyktu and suggest ways to help reduce them.

Note: After the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves a drug, it tracks and reviews side effects of the medication. Sharing your experience helps make medications safer for everyone by giving doctors and researchers more information about how the drug works in real life. If you develop a side effect while taking Sotyktu and want to tell the FDA about it, visit MedWatch or call 800-FDA-1088.

Mild side effects

Here’s a list of some of the mild side effects that Sotyktu can cause. To learn about other mild side effects, talk with your doctor or pharmacist, or read the drug’s prescribing information.

Mild side effects of Sotyktu that have been reported include:

Mild side effects of many drugs may go away within a few days to a couple of weeks. But if they become bothersome, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Serious side effects

Serious side effects from Sotyktu can occur, but they aren’t common. If you have serious side effects from Sotyktu, call your doctor right away. If you think you’re having a medical emergency, you should call 911 or your local emergency number.

Serious side effects of Sotyktu that have been reported include:

  • increased risk of serious infection, such as pneumonia and COVID-19
  • cancer, including lymphoma
  • a kind of muscle damage called rhabdomyolysis
  • severe allergic reaction (see “Allergic reaction” just below)
Allergic reaction

For some people, Sotyktu can cause an allergic reaction, although reports have been rare.

In general, symptoms of an allergic reaction can be mild or serious.

What might help

If you have mild symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as a mild rash, call your doctor right away. They may suggest a treatment to manage your symptoms and can determine whether you should keep taking Sotyktu.

If you have symptoms of a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling or trouble breathing, call 911 or your local emergency number right away. These symptoms could be life threatening and require immediate medical care.

If your doctor confirms you’ve had a serious allergic reaction to Sotyktu, they may have you switch to a different treatment.

Whether you have health insurance or not, cost may be a factor when you’re considering Sotyktu. What you’ll pay for Sotyktu may depend on several things, such as your treatment plan and the pharmacy you use.

Here are a few things to consider regarding cost:

  • Comparing pharmacies: The price of Sotyktu may vary depending on which pharmacy you use, so it can help to compare prices across pharmacies to find the lowest cost.
  • Drug coupons: You may be able to find drug coupons on prescription discount websites that can reduce the cost of your medication. These coupons cannot be used with insurance copays or benefits, but the discounted price may be lower than what you would pay through insurance.
  • Savings program: If you have questions about how to pay for your prescription, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. A program called Sotyktu 360 Support and other resources are also available. To learn more, call 888-768-9588 or visit the drug’s website.

Sotyktu treats moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults. Specifically, the drug is prescribed for adults who are considered for treatment with phototherapy (light therapy) or systemic therapy (treatment that affects the whole body).

About plaque psoriasis

Plaque psoriasis is the most common kind of psoriasis. Psoriasis is a chronic (long-term) autoimmune condition. With autoimmune conditions, symptoms are caused by cells in your immune system attacking other cells in your body by mistake.

Plaque psoriasis occurs when your immune cells attack healthy skin cells, causing new skin cells to replace damaged or dead skin cells more quickly than usual. This leads to raised, scaly, thick patches of skin called plaques. Usually, psoriasis plaques look:

  • purple or brown with gray scales on darker skin
  • pink or red with white scales on lighter skin

What Sotyktu does

Sotyktu works to treat plaque psoriasis by targeting an enzyme (protein) in the body called tyrosine kinase 2 (TK2). This enzyme is thought to increase inflammation (swelling or damage). By blocking TK2, Sotyktu reduces inflammation and helps treat plaque psoriasis symptoms.

Note: Sotyktu is an immunosuppressant (a drug that reduces the activity of your immune system). Sotyktu is not recommended for use with other immunosuppressants because your immune system activity may get too low, raising your risk of infection. This may include serious infections such as COVID-19 or tuberculosis.

The following information describes the commonly used dosage for Sotyktu. However, be sure to take the dosage your doctor prescribes. They’ll determine the best dosage to fit your needs.

Form and strength

Sotyktu comes as an oral tablet that you swallow. It comes in one strength of 6 milligrams (mg).

Recommended dosage for plaque psoriasis

For treating plaque psoriasis, the recommended Sotyktu dosage is 6 mg taken once per day.

About taking Sotyktu

Here are some common questions about taking Sotyktu.

  • Can Sotyktu be chewed, crushed, or split? No, you should not chew, crush, or split Sotyktu tablets. If you’re having trouble swallowing pills, check out these tips or talk with your pharmacist or doctor.
  • Should I take Sotyktu with food? You may take Sotyktu with or without food.
  • Is there a best time of day to take Sotyktu? No, there isn’t a best time of day to take Sotyktu. Take your dose once per day according to your doctor’s instructions.
  • What if I miss a dose of Sotyktu? If you miss a dose, try and take it as soon as you remember. But if you miss a day, take your next dose as scheduled. You should not take more than one dose of Sotyktu per day.
  • Will I need to take Sotyktu long term? Yes. If you and your doctor agree that Sotyktu is safe and working well for you, you’ll likely take the drug long term.
  • How long does Sotyktu take to work? Sotyktu begins working with your first dose. But it may take 16 to 24 weeks for the drug to reach its maximum effect and relieve your plaque psoriasis symptoms.

Overdose

Do not take more Sotyktu than your doctor prescribes. For some medications, doing so can lead to serious side effects.

What to do in case of overdose

Call your doctor if you think you’ve taken too much Sotyktu. You can also call 800-222-1222 to reach America’s Poison Centers or use its online resource. But if you have severe symptoms, immediately call 911 or your local emergency number. Or go to the nearest emergency room.

Sotyktu is not known to interact with other medications, herbs, supplements, foods, or alcohol. The manufacturer did not list any interactions in the drug’s prescribing information.

Before starting Sotyktu treatment, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Tell them about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take. Also, tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you take. Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions.

If you have questions about interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Note: Sotyktu is an immunosuppressant and is not recommended for use with other potent immunosuppressants, such as cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune) and mycophenolate mofetil (CellCept). However, Sotyktu’s manufacturer did not study Sotyktu in combination with these other drugs.

Live vaccines

You should not receive a live vaccine while you’re taking Sotyktu. Live vaccines contain a weakened form of the virus or bacterium they protect against.

Receiving a live vaccine while taking Sotyktu could cause you to become sick from the virus contained in the vaccine. Examples of live vaccines include:

Before taking Sotyktu, ask your doctor if you’re due for any vaccinations. Your doctor may recommend that you get them before starting Sotyktu treatment.

The following is important information to consider and discuss with your doctor or pharmacist before taking Sotyktu.

Pregnancy and Sotyktu

It’s not known whether it’s safe to take Sotyktu while pregnant. If you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant, talk with your doctor about whether Sotyktu is right for you.

Birth control and Sotyktu

It’s not known whether Sotyktu is safe to take during pregnancy. Therefore, if you’re sexually active and you or your partner can become pregnant, talk with your doctor about your birth control options while you’re taking Sotyktu.

Sotyktu and breastfeeding

It’s also unknown whether it’s safe to take Sotyktu while breastfeeding. If you’re breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed, talk with your doctor before taking Sotyktu.

Before you take Sotyktu, discuss your health history with your doctor. Sotyktu may not be right for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors affecting your health. Be sure to talk with your doctor if any of the following apply to you.

Active infection. If you currently have an infection or symptoms of an infection, such as rash or fever, let your doctor know before taking Sotyktu. This drug works by reducing the activity of your immune system, which makes it harder to treat infections. Your doctor will likely want to treat any infection before you start taking Sotyktu.

Hepatitis B or hepatitis C. Before starting Sotyktu treatment, let your doctor know if you’ve ever had hepatitis B or hepatitis C. If you have an active hepatitis B or C infection, your doctor will consider an alternative medication rather than prescribe Sotyktu. Sotyktu may also cause an inactive* virus to reactivate (cause symptoms again). If you’ve had hepatitis B or C before, your doctor will determine whether Sotyktu is safe for you to take.

Tuberculosis. If you’ve ever had tuberculosis (TB) or been in close contact with someone with TB, tell your doctor before taking Sotyktu. Your doctor will check whether you currently have TB. People who have had TB can take Sotyktu as long as the infection has been treated and is no longer active. During treatment with Sotyktu, your doctor will monitor you for symptoms of infection, including TB infection.

Allergic reaction. If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Sotyktu or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Sotyktu. Ask them what other medications are better options for you.

Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about Sotyktu.

How does Sotyktu compare with Otezla?

Sotyktu and Otezla are both used to treat plaque psoriasis. But Otezla also treats psoriatic arthritis and mouth ulcers (sores) in people with a condition called Behçet disease.

Sotyktu and Otezla belong to different drug groups. Sotyktu is an immunosuppressant (a drug that reduces the activity of the immune system). Otezla belongs to a group of drugs called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.

Sotyktu and Otezla also have mostly different side effects. You can learn more in our full article on Otezla’s side effects. To learn about Sotyktu’s side effects, see the “Sotyktu side effects” section.

Your doctor can tell you more about how Sotyktu compares with other drugs for plaque psoriasis, including Otezla.

Can Sotyktu be used for psoriatic arthritis?

Sotyktu is not approved to treat psoriatic arthritis. But doctors may prescribe the drug off-label for this use. With off-label use, doctors prescribe a drug for a purpose other than what it’s approved for.

If you have questions about possible off-label uses of Sotyktu, including for psoriatic arthritis, talk with your doctor.

Is Sotyktu a biologic?

No, Sotyktu is not a biologic drug. A biologic is a drug that is made from living cells. Nonbiologic drugs, on the other hand, are made from chemicals.

However, like biologic drugs, Sotyktu is designed to act on a specific target in the body (such as a gene or protein), which helps it be more effective. Targeted therapies may also cause fewer side effects than other drugs.

Sotyktu works to treat plaque psoriasis by targeting (blocking) a specific protein in the body that causes inflammation. By blocking this protein, Sotyktu reduces inflammation and helps relieve plaque psoriasis symptoms.

For more information about plaque psoriasis and Sotyktu’s mechanism of action (how it works), see the “Uses for Sotyktu” section.

Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.