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Equillium Announces Initiation of Phase 2 study of EQ101 A First-in-Class Multi-Cytokine Inhibitor of IL-2, IL-9 and IL-15 Targeting Alopecia Areata
Phase 2 proof-of-concept study evaluating EQ101 efficacy, safety, tolerability and PK/PD in subjects with alopecia areata over 24 weeks of treatment EQ101
About this update from Equillium, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"\nPhase 2 proof-of-concept study evaluating EQ101 efficacy, safety, tolerability and PK/PD in subjects with alopecia areata over 24 weeks of treatment\n\nEQ101 targets IL-2, IL-9, and IL-15, key cytokines known to be upregulated in alopecia areata, and therefore may provide a more selective and potent approach to disease treatment\n\n LA JOLLA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--\nEquillium, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQ), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel therapeutics to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory disorders with high unmet medical need, today announced that it has initiated a Phase 2 open-label study of EQ101 to assess efficacy and safety in adult subjects with moderate to severe alopecia areata. The study is expected to enroll approximately 30 subjects at multiple clinical sites in Australia.\n\nThis is a proof-of-concept study in adult subjects with at least 35% scalp hair loss due to alopecia areata (AA) where EQ101 will be administered intravenously once weekly over 24 weeks at a dose level of 2 mg/kg, with follow-up for an additional four weeks. The objectives of the study are to evaluate the efficacy, safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) properties of EQ101 in adult subjects with moderate to severe AA.\n\n“We are pleased to announce another major milestone as we initiate this proof-of-concept study of EQ101 in alopecia areata and now have both of our multi-cytokine inhibitors we acquired earlier this year in the clinic,” said Bruce Steel, chief executive officer at Equillium. “EQ101 is a first-in-class, tri-specific cytokine inhibitor selectively targeting IL-2, IL-9 and IL-15 at the receptor level, that may afford significant advantages over other treatment approaches, including JAK inhibition. We recently presented data at the Sixth Annual Dermatology Drug Development Summit outlining that EQ101 demonstrated more effective hair regrowth and suppression of cytotoxic CD8+ T-cells than ruxolitinib in a mouse model of immune-mediated hair loss. We believe this study will benefit from strong enrollment support and look forward to presenting data from this study next year.”\n\n“Alopecia areata is one of the most common auto-immune diseases in man with a lifetime risk of two percent. Despite the significant psychosocial distress experienced by patients with AA, there are sti...