Risankizumab is an interleukin-23 antagonist used to treat plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and Crohn's disease in adults. Risankizumab is a fully humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) directed against interleukin 23 (IL-23).
- Mechanism
- Curator reviewed · 8 references
Interleukin (IL)-23 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine implicated in various chronic inflammatory disorders, such as plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and Crohn's disease. IL-23 binds to the IL-23 receptor to activate the IL-23/Th17 axis, which is responsible for mediating T cell-mediated immune responses and inflammation. The IL-23/Th17 axis triggers the differentiation of Th-17 and Th-22 cells and induces the release of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines such as IL-17. While the IL-23/Th17 axis serves a critical role in protection against pathogens, it is also involved in chronic, autoimmune, inflammatory disorders.
IL-23 is made up of two subunits, p19 and p40: p19 is specific to IL-23 and p40 is present on both IL-12 and IL-23. Risankizumab binds to the p19 subunit of IL-23 with high affinity and neutralizes it, thereby preventing its interaction with the IL-23 receptor and activation of IL-23 signalling cascades.
- Primary indication
- Risankizumab is indicated to treat: moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. - active psoriatic arthritis in adults.Curator reviewed · 22 structured indications
- Formula / weight
- C6476H9992N1720O2016S44 · 149000.0 Da (approximate)
- First approval
- Canada, 2019 · United States, 2019 · European Union, 2021
- Also known as
- risankizumab-rzaa
- Code names
- 655066-01 · ABBV-066 · BI 655066
- Brand names
Resolves to
What you can answer from here — as of July 26, 2026
Which drugs share a target with Risankizumab, and which of those have an active Phase 3 trial?
Create a free account or log in to explore the full data card.
Create Account