Dive Brief:
- Two of Pfizer's experimental JAK inhibitors met the study goals of a 24-week, Phase 2 trial in alopecia areata, according to results presented Saturday at the 27th European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress.
- The compounds, an oral JAK3 inhibitor and TYK2/JAK1 inhibitor, both hit the primary endpoint of improving hair regrowth versus placebo in patients with moderate to severe alopecia areata.
- Pfizer will advance the JAK3 blocker, which already has a Breakthrough Therapy designation for the condition in the U.S., into the next stage of development. Testing of the TYK2/JAK1 inhibitor, on the other hand, will focus on psoriasis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
Dive Insight:
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease leading to hair loss on the scalp, face or body. Treatments include oral, injected or topical corticosteroids, or topical minoxidil or anthralin — but these aren't always successful.
Pfizer touted its Phase 2 trial as the first "well-controlled study" of oral JAK inhibitors in alopecia areata. Other drugmakers, such as Incyte and Concert Pharmaceuticals, are also exploring the JAK pathway as a potential target for treating the condition.
The study readout also provided Pfizer with an opportunity to showcase its pipeline of JAK inhibitors. The pharma is currently a market leader with Xeljanz (tofacitinib), which brought in $463 million in global sales between April and June.
Success with the two drugs will reinforce that position and give Pfizer successors to Xeljanz. In addition to the two candidates highlighted over the weekend, Pfizer also lists a JAK1 blocker, an IRAK4 inhibitor and an anti-TYK2 drug.
Those reinforcements could be needed, too, as AbbVie, Gilead and, to a lesser extent, Eli Lilly advance rival JAK inhibitors to Xeljanz.