AX-158 impacts biomarkers in patients with mild, moderate plaque psoriasis
Key takeaways:
- PASI 75 responses among patients treated with AX-158 progressed in line with biomarker data from this study.
- No infections or severe adverse events were reported.
AX-158 has achieved clinical validation through its phase 2a trial for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate plaque psoriasis, Artax Biopharma announced in a press release.
“[These] results validate this truly orthogonal, novel mechanism of action in the autoimmune space,” Rob Armstrong, PhD, CEO of Artax Biopharma, said in the press release. “With AX-158 and our portfolio of Nck modulators, we see great potential to address the treatment gap for patients.”
AX-158 is an oral Nck modulator that has shown strong cytokine modulation, carrying potential for the treatment of autoimmune disease, including psoriasis.
Evaluated in a placebo-controlled phase 2a trial of 30 patients with mild to moderate plaque psoriasis, daily AX-158 10 mg reportedly displayed a well-tolerated safety profile across the 28-day treatment period.
According to the press release, no infections or severe adverse events were reported — a finding consistent with previous phase 1 studies. The adverse events that were reported were mild to moderate and required no intervention to resolve. No discontinuations occurred.
James Krueger, MD, PhD, head of laboratory for investigative dermatology at the Rockefeller University and a member of the scientific advisory board at Artax Biopharma, reportedly analyzed the psoriasis biomarker and found that patients treated with AX-158 experienced consistent effects on both disease and pathway-related genes.
“We were thoroughly delighted to see that Nck modulation was able to impact relevant biomarkers as well as clinical measurements, particularly in the moderate patient population,” Armstrong said in the release. “We were pleased to observe that PASI 75 responses also progressed in line with biomarker data in this study.”
The company plans to report the full results at an upcoming medical conference, according to the release.