Izokibep shows remarkably high grades of clinical response in HS

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) treatment with the antibody mimetic izokibep induced exceptionally high HS clinical response (HiSCR) at week 12. More than 70% of participants reached a 50% reduction in HiSCR (HiSCR50) and 33% achieved a 100% reduction in HiSCR (HiSCR100).

As Dr Kim Papp (Probity Medical Research, Canada) emphasised, drug exposure in HS is lower compared with other inflammatory conditions, such as psoriasis [1]. Therefore, the novel, selective inhibitor of IL-17A izokibep has been designed to achieve enhanced tissue penetration with the potential to achieve higher drug concentrations. Dr Papp presented the single-arm part A of a phase 2b/3 trial (NCT05355805) that included 30 patients with moderate-to-severe HS with Hurley Stage II and III. Treatment consisted of 160 mg of izokibep dosed subcutaneously every weekly in patients with HS lesions in ≥2 separate anatomic areas and ≥3 abscesses or nodules. The randomised clinical part B of the study with 150 patients is still ongoing.

The participants had a mean age of 38 years, and 70% were women. They had an HS diagnosis for a mean of 12.8 years and one-third of patients had Hurley stage 3. At week 12, HiSCR50 (i.e. a ≥50% reduction from baseline) was present in 71% of the participants. HiSCR75 and HiSCR90 were observed in 57% and 38% of the participants, respectively.

The safety results did not see cases of candidiasis up to week 12, and the most common adverse events were injection site reactions. The profile of izokibep corresponded to what has already been recognised for IL-17A inhibitors.

“One-third achieved HiSCR100. That is something we have never seen before,” Prof. Papp underlined. An efficacy this high supports further development. Hence, a second phase 3 study has been fast-tracked.

Papp K. Izokibep, a novel IL-17A inhibitor, demonstrates HiSCR100 responses in moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa: open-label part A results of a phase 2b/3 study. S025, AAD 2023 Annual Meeting, 17-21 March, New Orleans, USA

Posted on 15 May, 2023