Abbvie’s Jak measures up nicely in eczema

Phase III results toplined yesterday suggest that Abbvie’s Jak inhibitor Rinvoq might be the most efficacious atopic dermatitis therapy in late-stage trials. Moderate to severe eczema patients receiving 15mg or 30mg of Rinvoq monotherapy in the Measure Up 1 trial showed statistically significantly better skin clearance than those given placebo. A cross-trial comparison of Rinvoq’s scores on the study’s co-primary endpoints – a minimum 75% improvement in the eczema area severity index (EASI 75) and a validated investigator’s global assessment (IGA) for atopic dermatitis of 0 or 1, representing clear or almost clear skin – show it surpassing Pfizer’s Jak, abrocitinib, in its phase III trials. It also easily beats Sanofi/Regeneron’s market leader, Dupixent. As with all Jaks safety is key, and here the news is cheering for Abbvie, with the rate of serious adverse events identical in the high-dose and placebo groups. Less than 1% of Rinvoq patients had serious infections versus none on placebo, and there were no deaths, venous thromboemboli or major cardiac events. If the several other ongoing phase III eczema trials post similarly decent data, Rinvoq could find a niche as second-line, post-Dupixent, therapy.