Lone Wolf Emerges from Pack of New Lupus Therapies

After decades of limited innovation, the market for lupus therapies is poised for multiple novel entrants as highlighted by new clinical data presented at EULAR. A new and differentiated mechanism was highlighted by Nektar Therapeutics with results from a study of the company's PEG-conjugated rhIL-2 (NKTR-358) designed to harness the suppressive activity of Tregs for the treatment of autoimmune diseases including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Highlights from EULAR include:
1) Ph1b study showed NKTR-358 stimulates high levels of Tregs in SLE patients with a safe and well-tolerated profile and no antidrug antibodies,
2) Ph2 results from the LILAC study of BIIB-059 showed significant dose-dependent reduction in cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) at 16 weeks with serious adverse events similar to placebo,
3) a pooled analysis of two Ph3 studies of anifrolumab showed increased rates of BICLA response and reduced disease flare vs. placebo in SLE patients. Details inside.

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