What Is JNJ-77242113? Definition and What Research Reports
JNJ-77242113, later named icotrokinra, is an engineered peptide designed to be taken by mouth that binds the interleukin-23 receptor and blocks IL-23 signalling. It is not a hormone or a growth-factor peptide; it sits in the immunology and oral-peptide-delivery literature. Published work includes preclinical and human pharmacology, a phase 2 dose-ranging trial in plaque psoriasis with a long-term extension, phase 3 comparisons against placebo and an oral active comparator, translational pharmacokinetics, and pooled safety analyses.
Definition
JNJ-77242113 is the development code for an engineered peptide, administered by mouth, that binds the interleukin-23 receptor (IL-23R) and blocks signalling through the IL-23 pathway; it was subsequently assigned the international nonproprietary name icotrokinra and appears in some papers under the shortened code JNJ-2113. It was characterised as a highly potent, selective IL-23 receptor–targeting peptide that produced robust IL-23 pathway inhibition after oral dosing in rats and in humans (PMID 39080319). In practical terms, the name refers to a single investigational molecule that has been studied in plaque psoriasis, not to a class of compounds or a naturally occurring peptide.
What Class of Molecule It Is
The compound belongs to the therapeutic-peptide class rather than the small-molecule or antibody classes. Antibody drugs that target IL-23 or its receptor are large proteins given by injection; JNJ-77242113 was described instead as a peptide engineered for oral administration that selectively blocks the IL-23 receptor and inhibits downstream signalling (PMID 40629250). Reviews have grouped it with a broader wave of oral peptide therapeutics being investigated in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, a category defined by receptor selectivity plus chemical modifications intended to survive the gastrointestinal tract (PMID 40439953).
The "JNJ-" prefix is an industry compound code, which is why the molecule circulates under two names. Databases, conference abstracts and earlier trials tend to use JNJ-77242113; later phase 3 publications use icotrokinra. Searching only one of the two names returns an incomplete literature set.
Why oral delivery is the notable part
Peptides are ordinarily degraded by gastric acid and intestinal proteases and absorb poorly across the gut wall, which is why most peptide drugs are injected. Methodological work on oral peptide and protein delivery has framed the problem in terms of pharmacokinetic boundaries — bioavailability ceilings, variability and route triage — that determine whether an oral route is viable for a given peptide at all (PMID 41939723). Translational pharmacokinetic analysis of icotrokinra described the exposure relationships linking oral dosing to IL-23 receptor blockade and downstream signalling inhibition (PMID 40629250). This is the main reason the molecule is cited outside dermatology: it functions as a worked example in the oral-peptide-delivery literature.
How the Term Is Used in Peptide Research
The term appears in at least four distinct contexts:
- Immunology and dermatology trials. As the intervention in randomised studies of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.
- Oral peptide delivery. As a case study in reviews of peptide therapeutics for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (PMID 40439953).
- Translational pharmacology. As an example of rat-to-human pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic bridging for an orally dosed peptide (PMID 39080319).
- Structural and computational peptide chemistry. Engineered peptides of this type contain noncanonical amino acid residues, and tooling work has focused on improving access to and modelling of such residues in protein and peptide structure prediction (PMID 42218720).
Name and term reference
| Term | What it refers to |
|---|---|
| JNJ-77242113 | Original development code used in preclinical and phase 2 reports |
| JNJ-2113 | Shortened form of the same code |
| Icotrokinra | Nonproprietary name used in later phase 3 publications (PMID 40976249) |
| IL-23 receptor antagonist | Mechanistic description of the target class |
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Preclinical and early human pharmacology
Researchers reported that the peptide was highly potent and selective for the IL-23 receptor and delivered IL-23 pathway inhibition after oral administration in both rats and humans (PMID 39080319). Separate translational pharmacokinetic work described how oral exposure related to receptor blockade and signalling inhibition across species (PMID 40629250).
Phase 2 in plaque psoriasis
A 2024 phase 2 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine randomly assigned adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis to placebo or to JNJ-77242113 at 25 mg once daily, 25 mg twice daily, 50 mg once daily, 100 mg once daily, or 100 mg twice daily for 16 weeks (PMID 38324484). In that trial, the proportion of participants reaching at least a 75% reduction in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI 75) at week 16 rose across the dose groups, from roughly a third in the lowest-dose group to about four in five in the highest-dose group, compared with about one in ten in the placebo group (PMID 38324484). A long-term extension of that dose-ranging programme, FRONTIER-2, reported maintenance of clinical response through week 52 in participants who continued oral JNJ-77242113 (PMID 39549848).
Phase 3 comparisons
Two phase 3 randomised trials, ICONIC-ADVANCE 1 and 2, compared once-daily oral icotrokinra with placebo and with the once-daily oral active comparator deucravacitinib in participants with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, and the study reported superiority to placebo on its co-primary skin-clearance endpoints at week 16 along with higher response rates than the active comparator (PMID 40976249). A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis pooled randomised controlled trials of oral icotrokinra in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis and reported on both efficacy and safety outcomes across those studies (PMID 41869308). Conference-derived summaries of psoriasis treatment updates have also situated the compound among newer oral options under investigation (PMID 40078858).
Adverse Events: What Studies Report
In the phase 2 trial, the investigators reported that the most common adverse events included COVID-19 and nasopharyngitis, and that the frequency of adverse events did not increase in a dose-dependent manner across the groups studied (PMID 38324484). The long-term extension reported on tolerability over the extended dosing period in the dose-ranging population (PMID 39549848). The 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis examined pooled safety alongside efficacy across randomised controlled trials (PMID 41869308). Trial safety data reflect monitored study populations with defined eligibility criteria and limited follow-up, and do not describe outcomes outside those settings.
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The verified papers address plaque psoriasis in adult trial populations, plus pharmacology in rats and humans. They do not establish outcomes in other conditions, in populations excluded from the trials, or beyond the follow-up periods reported. They also do not speak to any non-clinical or unsupervised use of a compound that exists only as an investigational and, where authorised, regulated pharmaceutical product; peptides sold under research-use-only labelling are not the same as an agent studied under a clinical trial protocol. This page is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice; consult a licensed physician about any medical condition or treatment decision.
Quick Reference
- Type: engineered therapeutic peptide, orally administered.
- Target: interleukin-23 receptor; blocks IL-23 signalling (PMID 39080319).
- Studied indication in the cited literature: moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis (PMID 38324484, PMID 40976249).
- Also known as: icotrokinra, JNJ-2113.
- Why it is cited outside dermatology: as an oral peptide delivery case (PMID 40439953, PMID 41939723).
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- An Oral Interleukin-23-Receptor Antagonist Peptide for Plaque Psoriasis (The New England Journal of Medicine, 2024)
- JNJ-77242113, a highly potent, selective peptide targeting the IL-23 receptor, provides robust IL-23 pathway inhibition upon oral dosing in rats and humans (Scientific Reports, 2024)
- FRONTIER-2: A phase 2b, long-term extension, dose-ranging study of oral JNJ-77242113 for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis (Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2025)
- Once-daily oral icotrokinra versus placebo and once-daily oral deucravacitinib in participants with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis (ICONIC-ADVANCE 1 & 2) (Lancet, 2025)
- Translational Pharmacokinetics of Icotrokinra, a Targeted Oral Peptide that Selectively Blocks Interleukin-23 Receptor and Inhibits Signaling (Dermatology and Therapy, 2025)
- Oral Peptide Therapeutics as an Emerging Treatment Modality in Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases: A Narrative Review (Advances in Therapy, 2025)
- From the Masterclasses in Dermatology 2024 Meeting: Updates in Psoriasis Treatments (The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, 2025)
- Safety and efficacy of oral icotrokinra for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (Frontiers in Immunology, 2026)
- Oral delivery of peptides and proteins: pharmacokinetic boundaries, negative selection, and route triage (Frontiers in Drug Delivery, 2026)
- HighRes_Builder: improved access and modeling of noncanonical residues for protein structure prediction (Briefings in Bioinformatics, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
Is JNJ-77242113 the same thing as icotrokinra?▾
Yes. JNJ-77242113 is the original development code and icotrokinra is the nonproprietary name for the same orally administered IL-23 receptor–targeting peptide; some papers also use the short form JNJ-2113. Early pharmacology and phase 2 reports used the code (PMID 39080319, PMID 38324484), while later phase 3 publications used icotrokinra (PMID 40976249). Searching one name alone returns an incomplete literature set.
Is it a peptide or a small molecule?▾
It is a peptide. Publications describe it as a highly potent, selective peptide that targets the interleukin-23 receptor and inhibits IL-23 pathway signalling after oral dosing (PMID 39080319). Translational pharmacokinetic work characterised it as a targeted oral peptide that blocks the receptor and inhibits downstream signalling (PMID 40629250). Reviews classify it within oral peptide therapeutics for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (PMID 40439953).
What did the phase 2 psoriasis trial report?▾
The 2024 phase 2 trial randomly assigned adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis to placebo or JNJ-77242113 at 25 mg once daily, 25 mg twice daily, 50 mg once daily, 100 mg once daily, or 100 mg twice daily for 16 weeks (PMID 38324484). Researchers reported that PASI 75 response at week 16 increased across dose groups compared with placebo (PMID 38324484).
What adverse events did the studies report?▾
In the phase 2 trial, investigators reported COVID-19 and nasopharyngitis among the most common adverse events, without a dose-dependent increase in adverse event frequency across groups (PMID 38324484). A long-term extension reported tolerability over extended dosing (PMID 39549848), and a 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis pooled safety and efficacy outcomes from randomised controlled trials (PMID 41869308).
Why is this compound discussed in oral peptide delivery research?▾
Most peptides are injected because gastric acid, proteases and poor gut permeability limit oral absorption. Methodological work frames this as a set of pharmacokinetic boundaries determining route viability (PMID 41939723). Because this molecule was studied as an orally dosed peptide with measurable pathway inhibition in rats and humans (PMID 39080319), reviews cite it as a case example within oral peptide therapeutics (PMID 40439953).
How does it differ from injectable IL-23 antibodies?▾
Antibody drugs targeting IL-23 are large proteins delivered by injection. This compound was described instead as an orally administered peptide that selectively blocks the IL-23 receptor itself and inhibits downstream signalling (PMID 40629250). Phase 3 trials compared it with placebo and with an oral active comparator rather than an injectable biologic (PMID 40976249). The cited papers do not provide head-to-head antibody comparisons.
What is the compound's status in the literature?▾
The verified papers cover preclinical and human pharmacology (PMID 39080319), a phase 2 dose-ranging trial and long-term extension (PMID 38324484, PMID 39549848), and phase 3 placebo- and active-comparator-controlled trials (PMID 40976249), plus a pooled review of randomised trials (PMID 41869308). These describe investigational study settings only and do not address use outside a clinical trial or prescribed context.
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References
This page summarises published research for education — it is not medical advice, and nothing here is a recommendation to use, purchase, or dose any substance. Study parameters described are what researchers reported, not instructions. Consult a qualified clinician before any health decision.