Lebrikizumab improves atopic dermatitis of the head, neck

WAILEA, Hawaii — Atopic dermatitis of the head and neck was improved in patients treated with lebrikizumab, according to a study presented at Maui Derm for Dermatologists.

“Moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD) is a prevalent, debilitating condition characterized by a broad range of clinical manifestations, including skin lesions and intense, persistent pruritus that can have a significant impact on the well-being and quality of life of patients,” Jacob P. Thyssen, MD, PhD, of the department of dermatology at Bispebjerg Hospital and University of Copenhagen, and colleagues wrote. “Interleukin (IL)-13 is a central pathogenic mediator driving multiple features of AD pathophysiology underlying the range of clinical manifestations.”

A 16-week post-hoc phase 2b study evaluated lebrikizumab, a monoclonal antibody that binds IL-13, in patients with moderate to severe AD.

Subjects were randomly assigned to receive subcutaneous lebrikizumab 125 mg every 4 weeks after a 250 mg loading dose, 250 mg every 4 weeks after a 500 mg loading dose, 250 mg every 2 weeks after two 500 mg loading doses or placebo every 2 weeks.

Head and neck involvement was present in 85.7% of those enrolled.

The cohort that received 250 mg of lebrikizumab every 2 weeks showed the greatest improvement with mean head and neck Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) scores decreasing by 65.6% compared with 35.2% in the placebo group. This dosage will move on to phase 3 trials.

“[Lebrikizumab] showed significant improvement in all EASI signs in [head and neck], a burdensome and difficult to treat area,” the authors wrote. “Excoriation was the EASI sign improving sooner, which is consistent with the early pruritus response reported in the phase 2b study.”