San Diego-based Anaptysbio Inc.’s phase II blowup with anti-IL-33 monoclonal antibody etokimab in chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRwNP), disclosed Aug. 10, followed the compound’s mid-stage atopic dermatitis (AD) fizzle in November of last year, and raised questions not only about the lead candidate but also about the target.
Eli Lilly and Co. and Incyte Corp. are working on atopic dermatitis (AD) from several angles and finding success. The most recent example is the positive top-line results from their collaborative phase III trial of baricitinib in treating adults with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis that show the oral selective JAK inhibitor met the study’s primary and secondary endpoints.
In the wake of each dosing arms' failure to hit the primary endpoint in Anaptysbio Inc.'s phase IIb study of etokimab to treat moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD), the stock dropped steeply and the company postponed initiating its phase IIb etokimab trial in eosinophilic asthma until it analyzes the phase IIb result.