More than 26 million people in the US are currently living with the inflammatory skin condition

Apogee Therapeutics has shared positive 16-week results from a mid-stage study of its investigational anti-IL-13 antibody in atopic dermatitis (AD).

The phase 2 APEX trial has been evaluating APG777 in patients with moderate-to-severe cases of the inflammatory skin condition.

Part A, in which patients received an induction regimen dosing of 720mg at weeks zero and two followed by 360mg at weeks four and 12, met all primary and key secondary endpoints and exceeded trial objectives.

APG777 demonstrated significantly greater least squares mean percent change from baseline at week 16, with an Eczema Area Severity Index (EASI) reduction of 71% compared to 33.8% for placebo.

Among APG777-treated patients, 66.9% experienced at least a 75% improvement in their EASI score, compared to 24.6% of those on placebo.

Additional key secondaries were “in line with standard of care”, Apogee said, including 33.9% of patients in the APG777 cohort achieving at least a 90% improvement in their EASI score versus 14.7% on placebo.

APG777 also led to a “rapid onset of itch relief” and achieved statistically significant reductions by week one.

AD, commonly referred to as eczema, affects over 26 million people in the US alone. Patients can experience itchy, red, swollen and cracked skin, often on the folds of their arms, backs of their knees, hands, face and neck.

APG777 is designed to target IL-13, a key cytokine in inflammation and a primary driver of AD.

Apogee’s chief executive officer, Michael Henderson, said: “APG777 has the potential to set a new standard of care by offering improved clinical responses with transformational quarterly or better maintenance dosing… [These] results bring us closer to that vision, and we believe further de-risks APG777’s path to approval.”