Nektar Announces Positive Phase 1b Data For NKTR-358 In Patients With Atopic Dermatitis

(RTTNews) - Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) said that proof-of-concept data presented by its partner Eli Lilly & Co. showed that, in patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, NKTR-358 (LY3471851) given every two weeks over a 12-week period resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in EASI scores.

At the highest dose tested, the majority of patients maintained the disease reduction for at least 6 months after the last dose of NKTR-358, Nektar said.

The treatment with NKTR-358 at the 24 ug/kg dose resulted in a 70% maximum reduction in EASI scores at week 12.

NKTR-358 is a novel T regulatory (Treg) cell stimulator.

NKTR-358 exhibited a similar tolerability profile in the Phase 1b study in atopic dermatitis as shown in prior studies conducted in patients with mild-to-moderate SLE and healthy volunteers.

Nektar entered into a strategic collaboration with Lilly in 2017 to develop and commercialize NKTR-358.