Nektar Therapeutics is basking in the honeyed glow of long-term phase 2 data for its immune asset rezpegaldesleukin in atopic dermatitis, where the candidate successfully reduced the size and itchiness of patients’ eczema after 52 weeks.
Noting that rezpeg maintained the 16-week success previously reported by Nektar—while also deepening some responses with no new safety concerns—analysts from Citi said in a Feb. 10 note that the candidate “checked all of the boxes for a competitive profile.”
The molecule’s shorter-term performance in the trial was also hailed as a success, despite falling short of the bar set by Regeneron and Sanofi’s blockbuster Dupixent (dupilumab).
The results set rezpeg up to become “a preferred second-line therapy” in atopic dermatitis, the Citi analysts added.
Bay Area-based Nektar now plans to move rezpeg into a phase 3 trial as quickly as possible and file for approval in 2029, Howard Robin, the biotech’s president and CEO, said in a Feb. 10 release.
Nektar enrolled 393 patients in the phase 2b trial. During the maintenance phase, patients receive an injection of rezpeg every four weeks or every 12 weeks.
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“With both monthly and quarterly maintenance dosing, new and sustained responses were observed across the key endpoints,” Jonathan Silverberg, M.D., Ph.D., a dermatologist at George Washington University, said in the release. This includes “a large proportion of patients achieving complete clearance” of their disease.
Nektar’s stock enjoyed a boost thanks to the sweet data drop, peaking up to $54.48 per share from yesterday’s close of $47.20. By 10:20 a.m. ET, the price had settled at around $52.50.
Rezpeg is designed to bind to interleukin-2 receptors on the surface of regulatory T cells (Tregs) in order to activate their inflammation-calming powers.
The new data “showcase the potential of a Treg biologic to offer compelling efficacy and safety advantages” over other mechanisms, Robin said in the release, along with less frequent dosing.
Nektar is also developing rezpeg in alopecia areata and Type 1 diabetes. The biotech claimed a phase 3 win in alopecia at the end of last year; though the trial technically missed its primary endpoint at first, success came after the company removed four patients who it said were enrolled in the trial erroneously.
A phase 3 trial of rezpeg in alopecia is now in the works, Nektar said in December.
