Equillium Announces Update On Multi-Cytokine Inhibitors EQ101 & EQ102 In Development For Alopecia Areata And Celiac Disease

Author: Benzinga Newsdesk | December 21, 2023 09:09am

EQ101 Phase 2 study in alopecia areata is fully enrolled with topline data expected in Q2 2024

EQ302, an orally delivered multi-cytokine inhibitor of IL-15 & IL-21, will be advanced in place of further clinical development of EQ102 based on EQ302's optimal delivery and increased potency

Equillium, Inc. (NASDAQ:EQ), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel therapeutics to treat severe autoimmune and inflammatory disorders, today announced an update on multi-cytokine programs EQ101 in development for the treatment of alopecia areata, EQ102 in development for the treatment of celiac disease, and EQ302, a new orally delivered multi-cytokine inhibitor.

"We are pleased to have completed enrollment of the EQ101 Phase 2 study in alopecia areata," said Bruce Steel, chief executive officer at Equillium. "We have enrolled a total of 36 patients in the study, of which 13, or 36 percent, had very severe alopecia areata. These patients are in need of new treatments that may have an improved safety profile compared to recently approved JAK inhibitors. While the study remains ongoing, to date EQ101 has been well tolerated over the 24-week dosing period. We expect to announce top-line data in Q2 2024."

EQ101 Alopecia Areata Phase 2 Study Baseline Characteristics:

• 36 patients enrolled:
  • 17 male and 19 female; 64% Caucasian
  • Age range of 18 to 60 years (mean age 38.2 years)
• Disease severity of patients at enrollment as defined by Severity of ALopecia Tool (SALT):
  • Mean SALT score of 76
  • 17% Moderate (SALT score 35 to 49)
  • 50% Severe (SALT score 50 to 94)
  • 33% Very Severe (SALT score > 95%)
• 27 patients (75%) had been on previous treatments with 11 of those patients having history of oral treatments (including steroids, minoxidil, methotrexate, mycophenolate mofetil) and one patient having previous treatment with a systemic JAK inhibitor

EQ102 & EQ302

"EQ102 is a first-in-class, bi-specific inhibitor of IL-15 and IL-21, two cytokines central to T and B cell activity, that exhibit biological synergy driving aggressive inflammatory responses in a number of gastrointestinal and skin diseases, highlighting the importance of dual inhibition," said Steve Connelly, chief scientific officer at Equillium. "While EQ102 was generally well tolerated and demonstrated pharmacodynamic activity in the SAD/MAD portions of the study, the bioavailability of this initial formulation was lower than expected. Given our recent progress with EQ302, a potential first-in-class, second generation, orally delivered stapled peptide targeting IL-15 and IL-21, we intend to transition away from further developing EQ102, to advance EQ302 towards the clinic for the potential treatment of patients with gastrointestinal and skin diseases. Preclinical and translational data have demonstrated that EQ302 has increased potency compared to EQ102, is both stable and permeable in the gut, and can be further modified for optimal systemic or gut-restricted activity. Based on the superior product profile of EQ302, and the significant clinical and commercial advantages of orally delivered therapies in these disease settings, we believe advancing EQ302 is a better long-term strategy. This development also illustrates the utility and modularity of our multi-cytokine platform in generating novel, first-in-class therapeutic candidates."

Posted In: EQ