Pfizer keeps pushing its inflammation pipeline

The longevity of Pfizer’s Covid-related revenues was the hottest topic at the group’s earnings yesterday, but pipeline progress elsewhere is equally important, and several updates in the inflammation and immunology space caught the eye. This is a big area for Pfizer, with etrasimod, recently acquired from Arena, star of the show. Failure overnight with a rival S1P agent from Connect adds weight to Pfizer’s claim of having a best-in-class agent; a pivotal trial in atopic dermatitis will start later this year, it was announced yesterday. The Jak3/Tec inhibitor ritlecitinib is also primed for further phase 3 studies, while executives described data on the group's TL1A MAb as “very strong”, particularly in a biomarker-selected group. Data due on that asset later this year are keenly awaited, particularly for those with similar assets such as Prometheus, whose stock jumped 11% yesterday on those comments. Less encouraging was Pfizer’s discontinuation of its Irak-4 inhibitor in a rare skin condition, a move that knocked shares in a small rival. With a couple more assets added to Pfizer’s inflammation and immunology pipeline, and several others being advanced, progress here will be closely watched – and this space remains likely to see further dealmaking.