Nektar Therapeutics has announced top-line results from its trial of rezpegaldesleukin to treat severe-to-very-severe alopecia areata (AA).

The phase 2b REZOLVE-AA trial includes 92 patients, randomised to receive either one of two rezpegaldesleukin doses or a placebo.

In both rezpegaldesleukin dose subgroups, the majority of patients experienced hair growth at week 16 of the study or later.

The safety and tolerability profiles of rezpegaldesleukin were found to be favourable, with almost all adverse events being mild to moderate and self-resolving.

AA is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the body’s hair follicles, causing hair loss. Lifetime incidence of the condition in both men and women is 2%, with nearly 6.7 million people in the US and 160 million people worldwide developing AA in their lifetime.

The US FDA granted Fast Track designation for rezpegaldesleukin twice
in 2025: in July for severe AA in adults and adolescents who weigh at least
40kg and in February for inadequately controlled atopic dermatitis in adults
and adolescents.

Rezpegaldesleukin is being developed as a treatment that can be self-administered as an injection for various autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

Galderma’s Nemluvio (nemolizumab) has shown rapid relief of itch, as well as improvement in sleep, in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) and prurigo nodularis (PN).

AD and PN are chronic skin conditions characterised by persistent itch, skin lesions and poor sleep. Itch is a symptom that significantly impacts quality of life in both conditions, with 87% of AD patients seeking relief from the symptom, and 88% of those with PN rating it as their worst symptom.

The results for Nemluvio come from the phase 3 ARCADIA and OLYMPIA clinical trials. ARCADIA was focused on AD while OLYMPIA was focused on PN.

Both studies found that Nemluvio reduced both itch and sleep disturbance, with 10.7% of AD patients and 17.2% of PN patients finding the treatment reduced itch within two days, while 9.9% of AD patients and 13.4% of PN patients found that it reduced sleep disturbance within two days.

By day 14, a quarter of patients with AD and more than a third of patients with PN had achieved significant and clinically meaningful responses in both itch and sleep.

Kymera Therapeutics has announcedpositive results from its trial of KT-621 totreat patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD).

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic skin condition characterised by itchy, inflamed and discoloured skin. As well as causing physical discomfort and pain, it can lead to embarrassment and social isolation.

STAT6 drives the inflammatory response in the blood and skin, and KT-621 works by reducing the levels of STAT6 in the blood and skin.

The phase 1b BroADen trial included 22 people with moderate-to-severe AD.

In the trial, KT-621 reduced the levels of STAT6 in the blood and skin significantly, and this reduction remained consistent. At day 29, the average reduction of STAT6 in the blood was 98%, and for skin lesions – an area with high levels of STAT6 – the average reduction of STAT6 was 94%.

In addition, at day 29, the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) score was reduced by 63% for all patients.

The safety and tolerability profiles of KT-621 were favourable, with no serious adverse events being reported.