Evaluation of Safety and Efficacy of IRX4204 in Mild to Moderate Plaque Psoriasis (IRX4204-Psoria)

February 27, 2026 updated by: Io Therapeutics

A 4-Week, Multicenter, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of the RXR Agonist Compound IRX4204 for the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Plaque Psoriasis

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if IRX4204 works to treat plaque psoriasis in adults. It will also learn about the safety of IRX4204. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Does IRX4204 treat plaque psoriasis symptoms?
  • Does IRX4204 treat plaque psoriasis symptoms better than someone who is not being treated?
  • What medical problems do participants have when taking IRX4204?

Researchers will compare IRX4204 to a placebo (a look-alike substance that contains no drug) to see if the drug works to treat mild to moderate plaque psoriasis.

Participants will:

  • Take IRX4204 every day for 28 days
  • Visit the clinic once every week for checkups and tests
  • Complete specific assessments about plaque psoriasis and changes to plaques

Study Overview

Status

Suspended

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

20

Phase

  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Texas
      • Webster, Texas, United States, 77598
        • Not posted

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. At least 18 years of age
  2. Have a diagnosis of plaque psoriasis (with or without psoriatic arthritis) for at least 6 months before the first administration of study treatment
  3. Meet the following disease severity criteria for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis at Screening and Baseline visits:

    1. IGA Score of 3 or 4 AND
    2. Total affected body surface area of >3 to 10% for moderate and 10% to 15% for severe psoriasis
    3. Excludes participants with scalp only plaques
  4. Be inadequately controlled with or intolerant of at least one prior topical therapy including but not limited to: corticosteroids, retinoids, vitamin D, vitamin D/steroid and retinoid/steroid combinations, tacrolimus, pimecrolimus, anthralin/dithranol, coal tar preparations, tapinarof, roflumilast for the treatment of psoriasis at both Screening and Baseline visits
  5. In the opinion of the Investigator, be a candidate for phototherapy or systemic treatment for psoriasis
  6. Completed appropriate washouts for prior treatments for psoriasis
  7. Be considered, in the opinion of the Investigator, suitable candidates for RXR agonist therapy
  8. Women participants of childbearing potential (WOCBP) (see Section 8.1.10) or sexually active male participants with partners of childbearing potential agree to practice a highly effective method of contraception (failure rate of < 1% per year when used consistently and correctly; see Section 8.1.10.1) prior to receiving, while receiving, and for at least 6 months after receiving the last administration of study intervention
  9. WOCBP must have a negative highly sensitive serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropic (b-hCG) pregnancy test at Screening and confirmed at Baseline prior to receiving the first administration of study drug
  10. WOCBP must agree not to donate eggs (ova, oocytes) or freeze for future and males must agree not to donate sperm for the purpose of reproduction for at least 6 months after receiving the last administration of study intervention.
  11. Female participants must agree to not breastfeed while enrolled in this study and within 6 months after the last dose of study intervention
  12. Sign an informed consent form (ICF) indicating that the participant understands the purpose of, and procedures required for, the study and is willing to participate in the study
  13. Be willing to and able to adhere to the requirements in this protocol

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Has more than 15% of total body surface area affected by psoriasis plaques
  2. Has a non-plaque form of psoriasis (e.g., erythrodermic, guttate, or pustular) at Screening or at time of randomization
  3. Has current drug-induced psoriasis (e.g., a new onset of psoriasis or an exacerbation of psoriasis from beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, or lithium)
  4. Has confounding diagnoses including but not limited to palmoplantar pustulosis, eczematous dermatitis, contact/irritant dermatitis, acquired keratoderma
  5. Has received within 12 weeks of the first dose (Day 1) any prior biologic (or biosimilars of) for the treatment of psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, or any other indications that could impact the assessment of psoriasis. Prior biologic therapy includes but is not limited to TNF-inhibitors, IL-17 inhibitors, IL-12/23 inhibitors, IL-23 inhibitors
  6. Has received within 4 weeks of the first dose (Day 1) any systemic immunosuppressives for the treatment of psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, or any other indications that could impact the assessment of psoriasis, Phototherapy or narrow band laser (e.g., Excimer or XTRAC), lithium, antimalarials, or intramuscular (IM) gold. Systemic immunosuppressive therapy includes but is not limited to methotrexate, azathioprine, cyclosporine, JAK/TYK pathway inhibitors, 6-thioguanine, mercaptopurine, mycophenolate mofetil, tacrolimus, acitretin, or anakinra
  7. Has received within 2 weeks of the first dose (Day 1) any topical medications for psoriasis or other conditions that could impact assessment of psoriasis, including but not limited to topical corticosteroids, retinoids, vitamin D analogs, combinations of calcipotriene and topical corticosteroids, tacrolimus, pimecrolimus, anthralin/dithranol, coal tar preparations, PDE4 inhibitors (e.g. crisaborole), or other topicals used for the treatment of psoriasis (tapinarof, roflumilast etc.)
  8. Has received within 12 weeks or 5 half-lives (whichever is longer) of the first dose (Day 1) other biologic therapy or experimental antibody, any agent that modulates T-cells (e.g., natalizumab, abatacept etc.)
  9. Has received within 4 weeks or 5 half-lives (whichever is longer) of the first dose (Day 1) any other experimental systemic therapy for any indication
  10. Is currently enrolled in another study using an investigational agent or procedure
  11. Has evidence of skin conditions that could interfere with clinical assessments of psoriasis (e.g. eczema, seborrheic dermatitis, or pityriasis rosea)
  12. Has a current history of severe, uncontrolled or progressive systemic medical conditions including renal, cardiac, vascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, endocrine, neurologic, hematologic, rheumatologic, psychiatric, or metabolic disturbances
  13. Has unstable cardiovascular disease, defined as a recent clinical deterioration in the last 3 months (e.g., unstable angina, atrial fibrillation) or a cardiac hospitalization within the last 3 months
  14. Currently has a known malignancy or has a history of malignancy within 5 years before screening with the exception of non-melanoma skin cancer curatively treated with no evidence of recurrence for at least 3 months before the first study drug administration or cervical carcinoma in situ of the cervix that has been treated with no evidence of recurrence for at least 3 years before the first study drug administration
  15. Has a history of lymphoproliferative disease, including lymphoma, leukemia, monoclonal gammopathy, or signs/symptoms suggestive of possible lymphoproliferative disease
  16. Has a transplanted organ (with the exception of a corneal transplant > 3 months before the first study drug administration)
  17. Has unstable suicidal ideation or suicidal behavior, or a suicide attempt (including interrupted, aborted attempts and preparatory behaviors for suicide attempt), in the last 6 months
  18. Has had a major surgery within 8 weeks of Screening or has such surgery planned during the time participant is expected to participate in the study
  19. Has had a substance abuse problem within the previous 12 months
  20. Has a history of chronic or recurrent infectious disease including but not limited to chronic renal infection, recurrent urinary tract infection (UTI), chronic respiratory infections (e.g., tuberculosis), skin infections, or fungal infections
  21. Is currently being treated for a thyroid condition or have abnormalities in TSH, free T4 or T3 at Screening
  22. Has had a serious infection (e.g., sepsis, pneumonia, pyelonephritis) requiring hospitalization within the 2 months before Screening
  23. Has had herpes zoster (shingles) within 2 months prior to Screening
  24. Has an active tuberculosis (TB) infection as confirmed by TB test during screening
  25. Tests positive for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection
  26. Is seropositive for antibodies to hepatitis C virus (HCV). If the antibody test result is positive at screening, the participant will be allowed to be re-screened one time and enrolled after a negative HCV RNA test result
  27. Is infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
  28. Unable to avoid prolonged sun exposure or use of tanning beds or other ultraviolet light sources
  29. Has received within 2 weeks of the first dose (Day 1) any prescribed anticoagulant, including but not limited to coumarins (such as warfarin), factor Xa inhibitors (i.e., apixaban, rivaroxaban), heparins (e.g., heparin, enoxaparin), and direct thrombin inhibitors
  30. Has any condition that, in the opinion of the Investigator, would make participation not be in the best interest of the participant or that could prevent, limit, or confound the protocol-specified assessments
  31. Is an employee of the Investigator or study site, with direct involvement in the proposed study or other studies under the direction of that Investigator or study site, as well as family members of the employees or the Investigator
  32. Any abnormal laboratory value greater than 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN). If one or more of the laboratory parameters is out of range, a single retest of laboratory values is permitted

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: Placebo
Placebo
Active Comparator: Treatment
IRX4204
Active Treatment
Other Names:
  • NRX194204
  • IRX4204Psoriasis

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
To evaluate if participants receiving IRX4204 achieve greater reduction in IGA scores when compared to participants receiving placebo
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 1) to Day 42
Percentage of participants achieving an Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) score of clear (0) or almost clear (1) at Day 28 with at least a 2-grade improvement from Baseline to end of study.
Baseline (Day 1) to Day 42

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
To evaluate if participants receiving IRX4204 have greater improvement in participant reported outcomes when compared to participants receiving placebo
Time Frame: from Baseline (Day 1) to Day 28
Change in Daily Quality of Life Index (DLQI) score will be evaluated. The DLQI is calculated by adding the score of each question, resulting in a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 30. The higher the score, the more quality of life is impaired.
from Baseline (Day 1) to Day 28
To evaluate if participants receiving IRX4204 experience a greater reduction in affected Body Surface Area when compared to participants receiving placebo
Time Frame: from Baseline (Day 1) to Day 28
Percent change in affected Body Surface Area (BSA) from Baseline to end of treatment will be evaluated. The body surface area refers to the total amount of skin on the body that is covered by psoriasis lesions and used to assess the severity of the condition. A higher percentage indicates a more severe case of psoriasis.
from Baseline (Day 1) to Day 28
To evaluate if a greater proportion of participants receiving IRX4204 achieve PASI50, PASI75 and PASI90 when compared to participants receiving placebo
Time Frame: from Baseline (Day 1) to End of Study (Day 42)
Proportion of participants to achieve PASI50 (50% or greater improvement from Baseline), PASI75, and PASI90 to the end of the study will be evaluated. Achieving PASI 50, PASI 75, and PASI 90 indicates different levels of improvement in psoriasis severity as measured by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score, with PASI 50 indicating a 50% reduction from baseline, PASI 75 signifying a 75% reduction, and PASI 90 representing a 90% reduction in psoriasis symptoms. Higher PASI numbers signifying increasingly clearer skin.
from Baseline (Day 1) to End of Study (Day 42)
To evaluate if participants receiving IRX4204 achieve greater improvement from baseline in disease and symptom severity as measured by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI).
Time Frame: from Baseline (Day 1) to End of Treatment (Day 28)
Change From Baseline to Day 28 in mean Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score of participants receiving IRX4204 compared to placebo.
from Baseline (Day 1) to End of Treatment (Day 28)

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of Treatment Emergent and Serious Adverse Events
Time Frame: from Baseline (Day 1) to End of Study (Day 42)
The number of Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs) and Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), and the number of participants who experienced TEAEs and SAEs will also be tabulated to evaluate the safety profile of IRX4204.
from Baseline (Day 1) to End of Study (Day 42)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

March 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

March 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

April 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 4, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 4, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

December 9, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 27, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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