ORKA-002

ORKA-002 is a novel, subcutaneously administered, half-life extended monoclonal antibody that targets both interleukin-17A (IL-17A) and interleukin-17F (IL-17F). By inhibiting both IL-17A and IL-17F simultaneously—a mechanism shown to be more effective than targeting IL-17A alone—ORKA-002 aims to provide superior efficacy in the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Preclinical data indicate that ORKA-002 binds to similar epitopes as bimekizumab with comparable affinity but has a significantly longer half-life (over three times longer in non-human primates), potentially allowing for dosing only two or three times per year. This infrequent dosing could offer substantial advantages over currently marketed agents. The drug is being developed by Oruka Therapeutics and was initially developed by Paragon Therapeutics. It is currently in preclinical development for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, with potential applications in other inflammatory diseases such as hidradenitis suppurativa and axial spondyloarthritis[1][3][4][5][6][8].