VIENNA – The success of the interleukin-13 blocker lebrikizumab in the TREBLE trial provides a new avenue in the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis.

“This is another promising molecule in atopic dermatitis,” Eric L. Simpson, MD, declared in presenting the phase II TREBLE data at the annual congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Lebrikizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to soluble IL-13 with high affinity, blocking downstream signalling by the inflammatory cytokine. Lebrikizumab’s efficacy in the TREBLE trial confirms the notion that IL-13 is a central mediator in atopic dermatitis (AD), observed Dr. Simpson, professor of dermatology and director of clinical research at Oregon Health and Science University, Portland.

Interleukin-13 is known to be an especially potent promoter of type 1, IgE-mediated inflammation. For this reason, lebrikizumab is also under investigation in the treatment of severe asthma, where large phase III trials have been completed, as well as in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

In mouse models of AD, topical anti-IL-13 therapy markedly reduces skin inflammation. This observation helped provide the rationale for investigating lebrikizumab as a novel therapy for AD.

TREBLE was a double-blind, dose-ranging study involving 209 adults with moderate-to-severe AD despite intensive topical corticosteroid therapy. Indeed, enrollment was restricted to patients who still had moderate or severe disease after 2 weeks of triamcinolone 0.1% cream BID. Continuation of that twice-daily topical steroid regimen was mandatory for the full 12-week study period that followed. Patients were randomized 1:1:1:1 to triamcinolone 0.1% BID plus either a single 125-mg subcutaneous dose of lebrikizumab at week 0, a single 250-mg dose of the biologic, 125 mg every 4 weeks, or placebo injections.

At baseline, after their 2 weeks of topical steroid monotherapy, patients had a median Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) score of 22 and a median SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) of about 56. They averaged 36 years of age. Slightly over 40% of their body surface area was affected.

The primary endpoint in TREBLE was the percentage of patients who achieved at least a 50% reduction from baseline on the EASI, or EASI 50. A dose-response effect was apparent: the EASI 50 rate was 62.3% in patients on placebo plus daily topical steroids, 69.2% with a single 125-mg dose of lebrikizumab, 69.8% with a single 250-mg dose, and 82.4% with 125 mg of lebrikizumab at weeks 0, 4, 8, and 12. Only the group with monthly dosing of the biologic plus daily triamcinolone 0.1% BID had an EASI 50 response rate significantly better than the controls on placebo plus topical steroid therapy.

A key secondary endpoint was the SCORAD 50 response. The rate was 26.4% in the control group, 34.6% in patients who received one 125-mg dose of lebrikizumab, 47.2% in those who got a single 250-mg dose, and 51% with monthly dosing. The SCORAD 50 rate was significantly greater than placebo in the latter two lebrikizumab arms.

The EASI 75 rate was significantly greater than placebo plus triamcinolone only in the group on monthly lebrikizumab plus topical steroids.

The EASI 50 and 75 response rates in the group on 125 mg of lebrikizumab every 4 weeks was still climbing with no plateau evident when the trial ended at 12 weeks. This suggests greater benefit might be achieved with longer treatment duration and/or a higher dosage, Dr. Simpson observed.

Turning to safety issues, he pointed out that the total number of adverse events and serious adverse events were similar across all four treatment arms. Herpes infections occurred in 2%-6% of patients who received lebrikizumab but in no controls. There was also a nonsignificant trend for more cases of conjunctivitis in the groups that received the biologic.

Audience member Andrew Blauvelt, MD, rose to take issue with the study design.

“This study is almost an advertisement for not using topical steroids in a biologic trial for atopic dermatitis. I think it just confuses everything. It especially doesn’t make sense when one of the inclusion criteria is inadequate control with topical steroids. Shouldn’t we be doing monotherapy trials in the new era of biologics for atopic dermatitis?” commented Dr. Blauvelt, president of the Oregon Medical Research Center in Portland.

Dr. Simpson replied that when TREBLE was designed, the thinking was that in real-world clinical practice, physicians often prescribe a biologic for AD on top of topical therapy. The goal was to conduct a trial that mimics that situation. That being said, he agreed with Dr. Blauvelt’s critique.

“I think we’re realizing that topical steroids have a very strong effect, especially if you use them all the way through a trial or ad lib,” he said. “Topical steroids bring too many confounders. If you can remove potent topical steroid therapy I think you’re going to have a clearer result.”

“We’re not where psoriasis is,” Dr. Simpson added. “We don’t have any standardized methodologies in atopic dermatitis clinical trials yet, but I think we’re getting there.”

The TREBLE trial was sponsored by Genentech/Roche. Dr. Simpson reported serving as an investigator for and consultant to that organization and numerous other pharmaceutical companies.

bjancin@frontlinemedcom.com

Lebrikizumab opens new door in atopic dermatitis therapy