Please read the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) before taking SOTYKTU® (deucravacitinib).
SOTYKTU contains the active substance deucravacitinib, which belongs to a group of medicines called tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2) inhibitors that help to reduce inflammation associated with psoriasis. SOTYKTU is used to treat adults with moderate to severe “plaque psoriasis”, an inflammatory condition affecting the skin, which can cause red, scaly, thick, itchy, painful patches on your skin and can also affect your scalp and nails, hands, and feet.
SOTYKTU works by selectively blocking the activity of an enzyme called 'TYK2' (tyrosine kinase 2) which is involved in the process of inflammation. By reducing the activity of this enzyme, SOTYKTU can help to control the inflammation associated with plaque psoriasis and thereby reduce the signs (skin dryness, cracking, scaling, shedding, or flaking, redness and bleeding) and can therefore help to reduce symptoms such as itching, pain, burning, stinging, and skin tightness of this condition.
SOTYKTU has also been shown to improve the quality of life in patients with psoriasis. This means that the impact of your condition on daily activities, relationships and other factors may be less than it was before.
Do not take SOTYKTU if you are allergic to deucravacitinib or any of the other ingredients in this medicine listed in your patient information leaflet, or if you have an infection, including active tuberculosis (TB), which your doctor thinks is important. Your doctor will have assessed this before prescribing you SOTYKTU, but if you have any concerns please talk to your healthcare team before taking your medication.
Talk to you doctor or pharmacist before taking SOTYKTU:
- if you currently have an infection that does not go away or that keeps coming back
- if you have or have ever had tuberculosis (TB)
- if you have cancer, because your doctor will have to decide if you can still be given SOTYKTU
- if you have heart problems or medical conditions that make you more likely to develop heart disease - it is not clear if SOTYKTU increases the risk of heart disease
- if you have had or are at risk of blood clots in the veins of your legs (deep vein thrombosis) or lungs (pulmonary embolism). Tell your doctor if you get a painful swollen leg, chest pain, or shortness of breath as these can be signs of blood clots in the veins. It is not clear if SOTYKTU increases the risk of blood clots
- if you have recently had or plan to have a vaccination
- If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor for advice before taking SOTYKTU. This is because it is not known how this medicine will affect the baby.
If you are not sure if any of the above applies to you, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse before using SOTYKTU.
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.
- Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people)
- upper respiratory tract (nose and throat) infections with symptoms such as sore throat and stuffy nose
- Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)
- viral infection of the mouth (such as cold sores)
- an increase in the level of an enzyme in your blood called creatine phosphokinase (CPK)
- sores in mouth
- acne-like rashes
- inflammation of hair follicles
- Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)
- shingles (herpes zoster)
- If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in the Patient Information Leaflet or on this website. You can also report side effects directly via the national reporting system (see details in the footer of this page). By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of SOTYKTU.
It's best to discuss this with your dermatology care team. It is important to take the course of tablets as prescribed by your dermatology care team and discuss how long you will need to take it with them. If your condition has not improved after six months of treatment, talk to your doctor.
The recommended dose of SOTYKTU is one 6 mg tablet once daily, with or without food. Swallow the tablet whole; do not crush, cut or chew the tablets.
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure. The recommended dose is 6 mg taken every day. The tablet should be swallowed whole and can be taken either with or without food. Do not crush, cut, or chew the tablets. Your doctor will decide for how long you need to use SOTYKTU.
If you forgot to take SOTYKTU, just take the normal dose the next day. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten tablet. Please refer to the patient information leaflet that came with your tablets for more information.
If you have taken more SOTYKTU than you should, talk to your dermatology care team as soon as possible. You may get some of the side effects listed in section 4 of your Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) that came with your tablets.
Do not stop taking SOTYKTU without talking to your doctor first. If you stop treatment, symptoms of psoriasis may come back. Please refer to the patient information leaflet that came with your tablets for more information.
Your doctor will decide for how long you need to use SOTYKTU. If your condition has not improved after six months of treatment, talk to your doctor.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines, or if you recently had or plan to have a vaccination. You should not be given certain types of vaccines (live vaccines) while using SOTYKTU.