AnaptysBio (NASDAQ:ANAB) presented updated Phase 2a data of etokimab for the treatment of severe eosinophilic asthma at the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology congress.
Etokimab is a humanized anti-interleukin-33 IgG1 monoclonal antibody. In the Phase 2a trial, patients in the etokimab arm showed an 8% improvement in forced exhaled volume in one second, a measure of lung function, over placebo at day 2. This was sustained through day 64 with an 11% increase over placebo.
“The positive proof-of-concept data generated under this trial are consistent with the genetically-validated rationale for etokimab’s IL-33 inhibitory mechanism in eosinophilic asthma,” Hamza Suria, AnaptysBio’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
AnaptysBio plans to initiate a Phase 2b trial in 300-400 eosinophilic asthma patients in 2019. The company is also developing etokimab for atopic dermatitis and adult chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.
