pLOG

2024-04-17

JAK cream poised to join the battle against hidradenitis suppurativa

 Incyte's JAK inhibitor cream Opzelura shows promising results in treating moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). 

 JAK: Janus kinase, HS: hidradenitis suppurativa

 How effective is Opzelura for HS? (1/2) 

The abscesses and inflammatory nodules produced by HS can be very painful for patients and can lead to irreversible tissue damage and scarring. Phase 2 clinical data shows that Opzelura, applied twice daily, significantly reduces abscesses and inflammatory nodules (AN) after 16 weeks compared to the placebo group. 

 AN: Abscesses and inflammatory nodules

How effective is Opzelura for HS?(2/2) 

79% of subjects using Opzelura experienced a reduction in overall AN count by more than 50%, with over 20% of patients achieving completely clear skin. The majority of patients even achieved clinical response for HS.

HS clinical response: Reduction of at least 50% in AN count with no increase in abscesses or draining fistulas.

Company's executive comments Jim Lee, Vice President of Inflammation and Autoimmunity at Incyte, stated, "While patients suffer daily, current standard therapies fall short. Today's Opzelura data represents a significant advancement in HS research, providing patients with an effective treatment option to better manage the disease."

 Safety data remains favorable Two patients discontinued from the clinical trial, but no treatment-related serious adverse events occurred.

 What is Opzelura? 

Opzelura is the cream version of Incyte's flagship drug Jakafi. Opzelura was approved in 2021 for the treatment of atopic dermatitis and the following year for vitiligo. Currently, Opzelura is the only JAK inhibitor cream approved in the United States, but Leo Pharma's delgocitinib is poised to join the fray, with recent promising results from phase 3 clinical trials for chronic hand eczema.

 Does Incyte have other weapons?

 Another weapon in development is the oral drug povorcitinib, with phase 2 clinical trials showing significant improvement in disease severity and itchiness for patients with nodular prurigo (NP). 

 NP: Nodularis prurigo

 Future plans and prospects for Opzelura Opzulura brought in $338 million in sales for Incyte in 2023, touted by company executives as one of the best recent launches in dermatology. Next, they plan to evaluate its efficacy for nodular prurigo (NP).

 References:

  1. Link to FiercePharma article
  2. Link to pojulai.blogspot article