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An experimental Johnson & Johnson drug for moderate to severe psoriasis proved significantly better at clearing the scaly, uncomfortable skin patches associated with the disease than a placebo, according to data from a midstage study presented on Saturday. The J&J biologic medicine, guselkumab, achieved the main goal of the Phase II study at all five dosing regimens tested by clearing or reducing the psoriasis to a minimal measure after 16 weeks of treatment in a far greater percentage of patients than in the group that received a placebo. It also appeared to be as good as or more effective than AbbVie's big selling Humira at four of the tested doses. "The efficacy of guselkumab in the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis looks promising according to these Phase IIb study results," Dr. Kristina Callis Duffin, one of the study's investigators, said in a statement.