Biogen's Litifilimab Shows Durable Results in 52-Week Lupus Skin Study
New Phase 2 data show litifilimab improved skin disease activity through one year, with rapid onset seen within four weeks of treatment.
Biogen Inc. on Friday released 52-week results from the Phase 2 portion of its ongoing AMETHYST Phase 2/3 trial evaluating litifilimab in patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus, a chronic autoimmune condition that primarily attacks the skin. The data, presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress in Vienna, Austria, represent the longest dataset yet published for the drug in this indication.
Participants who received litifilimab during the double-blind, placebo-controlled segment of the trial demonstrated sustained improvements in skin disease activity through the full 52-week period, according to the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company. The findings reinforce what Biogen has characterized as the compound's potential to serve as a first-in-class therapy for a condition that currently lacks targeted approved treatments.
Read more Ashton Woods to Host Quarterly Earnings Call on Oct. 8 →
Among the study's notable findings, patients who had been on placebo and were switched to litifilimab at Week 24 experienced measurable treatment effects in as few as four weeks, suggesting a relatively rapid onset of action. That rapid response profile, combined with sustained efficacy over a year, could differentiate the drug in a disease area where long-term disease control remains a significant unmet medical need.
Biogen, which trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker BIIB, has positioned litifilimab as a potential cornerstone in its immunology pipeline. The AMETHYST study is ongoing, with Phase 3 data expected to provide the larger patient sample necessary to support a potential regulatory filing.
Continue reading at GlobeNewswire - Industry News on Financial Services
