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NCT Number: NCT07321873

A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of JNJ-88545223 for the Treatment of Participants With Active Psoriatic Arthritis

The purpose of this study is to evaluate how well the study drug JNJ-88545223 works compared with a placebo (an inactive substance) in adults with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The study aims to see whether treatment with JNJ-88545223 can help reduce the signs and symptoms of PsA and improve joint and skin health.

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Beijing, China

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Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Have a diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) for at least 3 months before the first administration of study intervention and meet classification criteria for Psoriatic Arthritis (CASPAR) at screening
  • Have active PsA as defined by: (a) At least 3 swollen joints and at least 3 tender joints at screening and at baseline (Week 0/Day 1) based on the 66/68 joint assessment; AND (b) C-reactive protein (CRP) greater than or equal to (>=) 0.1 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) at screening from the central laboratory
  • Have >= 1 of the following PsA subsets: distal interphalangeal joint involvement, polyarticular arthritis with absence of rheumatoid nodules, asymmetric peripheral arthritis, or spondylitis with peripheral arthritis
  • Have active plaque psoriasis with at least one psoriatic plaque of >= 2 centimeter (cm) diameter or nail changes consistent with psoriasis
  • A female participant of childbearing potential must have a negative highly sensitive serum pregnancy test (Beta-hCG) at screening and a negative urine pregnancy test at Week 0 prior to administration of study intervention

Exclusion criteria

  • Has a nonplaque form of psoriasis (for example, erythrodermic, guttate, or pustular)
  • Has a history or current signs or symptoms of severe, progressive, or uncontrolled renal, hepatic, cardiac, vascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, endocrine, neurologic, hematologic, rheumatologic (except PsA), psychiatric, genitourinary, or metabolic disturbances
  • Has suspected or known allergies, hypersensitivity, or intolerance to JNJ-88545223 or excipients used in the investigational medicinal product (IMP), including placebo (JNJ-88545223 investigator's brochure); or has a history of severe allergic reaction, angioedema, or anaphylaxis to drugs or food
  • Has fibromyalgia or osteoarthritis symptoms that, in the opinion of the investigator, would have potential to interfere with efficacy assessments
  • Currently has a malignancy or has a history of malignancy within 5 years prior to screening

Treatment and study plan

JNJ-88545223

Drug

JNJ-88545223 will be administered.

Placebo

Drug

Placebo will be administered.

Primary outcomes

  1. Proportion of Participants who Achieved an American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 50 Response at Week 16

    Time frame: Week 16

    The ACR 50 responders are participants with an improvement of greater than or equal to (>=) 50 percent (%) from baseline in both the tender and swollen joint count and in at least 3 of the 5 assessments (patient's assessment of pain visual analog scale [VAS], patient's global assessment of disease activity [arthritis, VAS] scale, Physician's global assessment of disease activity VAS scale, Health Assessment Questionnaire and C-reactive protein).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Proportion of Participants Who Achieved Psoriatic Area and Severity Index (PASI) 75 Response at Week 16 Among Participants with Baseline Body Surface Area (BSA) Greater Than or Equal to (>=) 3 Percent (%)

    Time frame: Week 16

    A PASI 75 response represents participants who achieved at least a 75 percent improvement from baseline in the PASI score. The PASI is a system used for assessing and grading the severity of psoriatic lesions. In the PASI system, the body is divided into 4 regions: the head, trunk, upper extremities, and lower extremities. Each of these areas were assessed separately for the percentage of the area involved, which translates to a numeric score that ranges from 0 to 6, and for erythema, induration, and scaling, which are each rated on a scale of 0 to 4. The PASI produces a numeric score that can range from 0 to 72. A higher score indicates more severe disease.

  2. Proportion of Participants Who Achieved PASI 90 Response at Week 16 Among Participants with Baseline BSA >=3%

    Time frame: Week 16

    A PASI 90 response represents participants who achieved at least a 90 percent improvement from baseline in the PASI score. The PASI is a system used for assessing and grading the severity of psoriatic lesions. In the PASI system, the body is divided into 4 regions: the head, trunk, upper extremities, and lower extremities. Each of these areas were assessed separately for the percentage of the area involved, which translates to a numeric score that ranges from 0 to 6, and for erythema, induration, and scaling, which are each rated on a scale of 0 to 4. The PASI produces a numeric score that can range from 0 to 72. A higher score indicates more severe disease.

  3. Proportion of Participants Who Achieved PASI 100 Response at Week 16 Among Participants with Baseline BSA >=3%

    Time frame: Week 16

    A PASI 100 response represents participants who achieved at least a 100 percent improvement from baseline in the PASI score. The PASI is a system used for assessing and grading the severity of psoriatic lesions. In the PASI system, the body is divided into 4 regions: the head, trunk, upper extremities, and lower extremities. Each of these areas were assessed separately for the percentage of the area involved, which translates to a numeric score that ranges from 0 to 6, and for erythema, induration, and scaling, which are each rated on a scale of 0 to 4. The PASI produces a numeric score that can range from 0 to 72. A higher score indicates more severe disease.

  4. Proportion of Participants who Achieved an ACR 20 Response at Week 16

    Time frame: Week 16

    The ACR 20 responders are participants with an improvement of >= 20% from baseline in both the tender and swollen joint count and in at least 3 of the 5 assessments (patient's assessment of pain VAS, patient's global assessment of disease activity [arthritis, VAS] scale, Physician's global assessment of disease activity VAS scale, Health Assessment Questionnaire and C-reactive protein).

  5. Proportion of Participants who Achieved an ACR 70 Response at Week 16

    Time frame: Week 16

    The ACR 70 responders are participants with an improvement of >= 70% from baseline in both the tender and swollen joint count and in at least 3 of the 5 assessments (patient's assessment of pain VAS, patient's global assessment of disease activity [arthritis, VAS] scale, Physician's global assessment of disease activity VAS scale, health assessment questionnaire and C-reactive protein).

  6. Change From Baseline in Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) Score At Week 16

    Time frame: Baseline up to Week 16

    The HAQ-DI score consists of questions referring to 8 categories: dressing/grooming, arising, eating, walking, hygiene, reach, grip, and common daily activities. Responses in each functional area are scored from 0 to 3 (0=no difficulty and 3=inability to perform a task in that area). Overall score was computed as the sum of domain scores and divided by the number of domains answered. Total possible score range 0-3 where 0 = least difficulty and 3 = extreme difficulty.

  7. Change From Baseline in 36 Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) Physical Component Summary (PCS) Score at Week 16

    Time frame: Baseline up to Week 16

    SF-36 is a standardized survey evaluating 8 aspects of functional health and wellbeing: physical and social functioning, physical and emotional role limitations, bodily pain, general health, vitality, mental health. The score for a domain was an average of the individual question scores, which were scaled 0 to 100 (100=highest level of functioning). Score from physical function, role physical, bodily pain, and general health domains were averaged to calculate PCS. Total score range for PCS was 0-100 (100=highest level of physical functioning).

Other outcomes

  1. Number of Participants with Adverse Events (AEs) and Serious Adverse Events (SAEs)

    Time frame: Up to Week 20

    An AE is any untoward medical occurrence in a clinical study participant administered a pharmaceutical (investigational or non-investigational) product that does not necessarily have a causal relationship with the intervention. A SAE is any untoward medical occurrence that at any dose results in death, is life-threatening, requires inpatient hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization, results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity, is a congenital anomaly/birth defect, is a suspected transmission of any infectious agent via a medicinal product, and is medically important.

  2. Number of Participants With Change from Baseline in the Laboratory Parameters

    Time frame: Baseline up to Week 20

    Participants with change from baseline in the laboratory parameters (hematology and serum chemistry) will be reported.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Study Contact

CONTACT

[email protected]

844-434-4210

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Janssen Research & Development, LLC

Industry

Registry information

Official study title

A Phase 2b, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Dose-Ranging Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of JNJ-88545223 For the Treatment of Participants With Active Psoriatic Arthritis

Acronym: VELOTA

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jan 7, 2026
Registry last updated
Jul 6, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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