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Cara Therapeutics Announces Oral KORSUVA™ (difelikefalin) Improves Itch and Inflammatory Biomarkers in Atopic Dermatitis Patients with Moderate-To-Severe Pruritus
Data presented in late-breaking session at the 2022 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting STAMFORD, Conn., March 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
About this update from Tvardi Therapeutics, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"Data presented in late-breaking session at the 2022 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting\nSTAMFORD, Conn., March 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cara Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CARA), an early commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company leading a new treatment paradigm to improve the lives of patients suffering from pruritus, today announced data from a sub-study of the KARE Phase 2 clinical trial demonstrated Oral KORSUVA™ (difelikefalin) improved itch and inflammatory biomarkers in atopic dermatitis (AD) patients with moderate-to-severe pruritus. The biomarker data were presented during the Late-Breaking Research: Clinical Trials session at the 2022 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting. The sub-study, which included 40 patients from the KARE trial, characterized the effect of Oral KORSUVA (difelikefalin) on pruritus- and AD-related gene expression using baseline and week 12 skin biopsies. Data pooled from all Oral KORSUVA (difelikefalin) treatment groups indicated treatment with Oral KORSUVA (difelikefalin) altered expression of multiple individual pruritus- and AD-related genes. Gene set variation analysis confirmed downregulation of pruritus-related genes and the Th2 pathway following 12 weeks of treatment with Oral KORSUVA (difelikefalin), but not placebo. “Pruritus is extremely burdensome for patients with atopic dermatitis and new treatment options that effectively address pruritus and alleviate the itch-scratch cycle are greatly needed,” said lead investigator Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, PhD, Waldman Professor and System Chair of Dermatology and Immunology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Results from our sub-study demonstrate oral difelikefalin downregulated the expression of key markers associated with pruritus and atopic dermatitis inflammation, indicating the potential of difelikefalin to provide an additional anti-inflammatory benefit in patients with atopic dermatitis-related pruritus.” In addition to the late-breaking oral presentation, quality of life data from a subgroup analysis of the KARE trial were presented in a poster at the 2022 AAD Annual Meeting. The poster, “Oral Difelikefalin Improves Itch and Quality of Life in Subjects With Itch-Dominant Atopic Dermatitis: Subgroup Analysis of a Randomized, Phase 2 Study,” (#33993) is available at: https://eposters.aad.org/....