At 16 weeks, 70 percent of patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) receiving lebrikizumab combined with standard-of-care topical corticosteroids (TCS) achieved at least 75 percent improvement in overall disease severity (EASI-75*) in the ADhere trial, Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced today at the 4th Annual Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis (RAD) Conference. Lebrikizumab, an investigational IL-13 inhibitor, also showed improvements in itch, sleep interference, and quality of life when combined with TCS, compared to placebo plus TCS.
“Today’s ADhere data, together with results from the ADvocate monotherapy studies, demonstrate the potential for lebrikizumab to reduce disease burden and provide relief for people with uncontrolled atopic dermatitis when used either alone or combined with topicals,” said Eric Simpson, M.D., M.C.R., Professor of Dermatology and Director of Clinical Research at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, and principal investigator of ADhere. “Lebrikizumab specifically targets the IL-13 pathway, which plays the central role in this chronic inflammatory disease. These results strengthen our understanding of lebrikizumab in atopic dermatitis and help establish it as a possible new treatment option.”
Lebrikizumab is a novel, monoclonal antibody (mAb) that binds to the interleukin 13 (IL-13) protein with high affinity to specifically prevent the formation of IL-13Rα1/IL-4Rα (Type 2 receptor) which blocks downstream signaling through the IL-13 pathway.1-5 IL-13 plays the central role in Type 2 inflammation in AD.6,7 In AD, IL-13 underlies the signs and symptoms including skin barrier dysfunction, itch, infection and hard, thickened areas of skin.8
Among patients taking lebrikizumab plus TCS, 41 percent achieved clear or almost clear skin (IGA) at 16 weeks compared to 22 percent of patients taking placebo plus TCS. At 16 weeks, 70 percent of patients taking lebrikizumab plus TCS achieved an EASI-75 response compared to 42 percent taking placebo plus TCS. Differences between patients receiving lebrikizumab in combination with TCS and placebo with TCS were observed as early as four weeks for EASI-75.
Patients treated with lebrikizumab plus TCS also achieved statistically significant improvements across key secondary endpoints including skin clearance and itching, interference of itch on sleep, and quality of life measures, compared to placebo with TCS. Clinically meaningful differences were observed as early as four weeks for itch, interference of itch on sleep, and quality of life measures.
Safety results were consistent with prior lebrikizumab studies in AD. Patients taking lebrikizumab plus TCS, compared to placebo plus TCS, reported a higher frequency of adverse events (lebrikizumab plus TCS: 43%, placebo plus TCS: 35%). Most adverse events were mild or moderate in severity and nonserious and did not lead to treatment discontinuation. The most common adverse events for those on lebrikizumab were conjunctivitis (5%) and headache (5%).
“Lilly is working to empower people with skin-related diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, to live their lives to the fullest potential,” said Lotus Mallbris, M.D., Ph.D., vice president of global immunology development and medical affairs at Lilly. “We recognize the critical need for more options for people whose disease cannot be controlled with topicals. We look forward to seeing full results from our broader Phase 3 program and advancing lebrikizumab worldwide.”
Lilly recently announced 16-week data from the ongoing ADvocate studies, and an encore presentation of results was presented at RAD 2022. Additionally, longer term data from the ADvocate studies will be disclosed in coming months.
“These results are a further step in our commitment to deliver innovative therapies that make a meaningful difference to patients. We look forward to announcing exciting new milestones in the months to come,” commented Karl Ziegelbauer, Ph.D., Almirall S.A.’s Chief Scientific Officer.
Lilly għandha drittijiet esklussivi għall-iżvilupp u l-kummerċjalizzazzjoni ta' lebrikizumab fl-Istati Uniti u l-bqija tad-dinja barra l-Ewropa. Almirall liċenzja d-drittijiet biex tiżviluppa u tikkummerċjalizza lebrikizumab għat-trattament ta’ indikazzjonijiet tad-dermatoloġija, inkluż l-AD, fl-Ewropa.