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Equillium Announces Positive Data for Itolizumab in Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease in Two Presentations at the 47th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation
EQUATE acute graft-versus host disease (aGVHD) study observed rapid response and durability through day 85 EQUATE aGVHD study reported a clinically meaningful
About this update from Equillium, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"EQUATE acute graft-versus host disease (aGVHD) study observed rapid response and durability through day 85 EQUATE aGVHD study reported a clinically meaningful reduction in corticosteroid use Translational data demonstrates itolizumab’s impact on T cell effector function in aGVHD LA JOLLA, Calif., March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Equillium, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQ), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing itolizumab to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, today announced positive data supporting the role of itolizumab as a potential treatment for acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD). The data, presented on-demand at the virtual 47th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT), confirms that a majority of patients in the EQUATE study achieved a complete response (CR) within 15 days, which was maintained through day 85. Importantly, there was a clinically meaningful reduction in corticosteroid use in these patients. Data was also presented showing that itolizumab inhibited pathogenic T cell proliferation. “The high rate of complete responses coupled with adverse events consistent with those observed in high-risk acute GVHD, suggests itolizumab may be a very promising treatment for these patients,” said Dr. John Koreth, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. “It’s important that we consider how sick these patients are when they present with acute GVHD, and the very limited treatment options that are available. The rapidity of efficacy onset, durability of response and concomitant steroid reduction supports itolizumab’s potential as a first-line treatment and is very meaningful to physicians looking for treatment options, and patients suffering from this life-threatening condition.” “The translational work presented in this oral presentation characterizes CD6 expression levels and demonstrates the suppressive effect of itolizumab on the activity of CD4 and CD8 T cells from transplant patients with acute GVHD,” said Jerome Ritz, M.D., executive director of the Connell and O’Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “The growing critical mass of data underscores the important role of the CD6-ALCAM pathway in modulating effector T cell function and provides further val...