Lebrikizumab Linked with Improvement in Patients with AD and Skin of Color

The study was the first of its kind looking specifically at skin of color.

New first-of-its-kind research presented at the American Academy of Dermatology 2024 Annual Meeting suggests that lebrikizumab showed efficacy in patients with skin of color who had atopic dermatitis (AD). 

“People with skin of color are disproportionately affected by AD, often experiencing more severe symptoms, a delay in diagnosis and a lengthier timeframe to find appropriate treatment,” Andrew Alexis, MD, MPH, a professor of clinical dermatology and vice chair for diversity and inclusion in the Department of Dermatology at Weill Cornell Medicine, and a dermatologist at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, as well as lead study investigator, said in a news release. "They also have been historically underrepresented in clinical trials, which means we have lacked data pertaining to the treatment of patients with skin of color."

The initial 16-week data from the ADmirable study included more than 50 patients with moderate-to-severe AD and darker skin tones measured by the Fitzpatrick scale (including those who self-identify as Black or African American, Asian, American Indian, or Alaska Native. Of these patients, 11 also identified as Hispanic/Latino, with the remaining patients identifying as non-Hispanic/Latino. 

According to the researchers, the study results were in line with results from the ADHERE and ADVOCATE 1 & 2 trials. Some of the key findings included:

• 68% of participants experienced significant improvement of at least 75% in disease extent and severity (EASI-75)
• 46% of participants saw at least 90% improvement in disease extent and severity (EASI-90)
• 39% of participants achieved clear or almost clear skin (IGA 0,1) with a reduction of at least two points from baseline
• 55% of participants saw clinically meaningful itch relief (PNRS ≥4-point improvement

The authors reported no new safety signals and no serious adverse events during the study. 

“Lebrikizumab is the first investigative treatment for AD to disclose robust efficacy data specifically for people with skin of color, who may experience barriers to treatment or inequitable care,” said Mark Genovese, MD, senior vice president of Immunology development at Lilly, said in a press release about the results. “Through clinical trials like this, we hope to deliver more breakthroughs to make life better for people who have been underserved.” 

Sources: Waibel J. Efficacy and safety of lebrikizumab in adult and adolescent patients with skin of color and moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis: An interim analysis of the open-label Phase 3b trial, ADmirable. Session S050. Presented at: American Academy of Dermatology 2024 Annual Meeting; March 8-12, 2024; San Diego.

Lilly press release. March 10, 2024. 

Disclosures

Dr. Genovese is an employee of Lilly. Dr. Alexis reports the following relationships: AbbVie – Advisory Board(Honoraria), Consultant(Fees), Investigator(Grants/Research Funding); Aerolase – Other(Equipment); Allergan, Inc. – Advisory Board(Honoraria); Almirall – Advisory Board(Honoraria), Investigator(Grants/Research Funding); Alphyn Biologics – Advisory Board(Honoraria); Amgen – Consultant(Fees), Investigator(Grants/Research Funding); Apogee BioPharm – Advisory Board(Honoraria); Arcutis Biotherapeutics – Investigator(Grants/Research Funding); Arcutis, Inc. – Advisory Board(Honoraria); Bausch Health – Advisory Board(Honoraria); Beiersdorf, Inc. – Advisory Board(Honoraria); Bristol-Myers Squibb – Advisory Board(Fees), Speaker(Honoraria); Canfield Scientific, Inc. – Consultant (1099 relationship)(Fees); Cara Therapeutics – Advisory Board(Honoraria), Investigator(Grants/Research Funding); Castle Biosciences – Advisory Board(Honoraria), Investigator(Grants/Research Funding); Covington & Burling LLP – Other(Fees); Cutera, Inc. – Consultant(Fees); Dermavant Sciences – Advisory Board(Honoraria), Investigator(Grants/Research Funding); Dermavant Sciences, Inc. – Advisory Board(Honoraria); Eli Lilly – Consultant(Fees); Eli Lilly and Company – Advisory Board(Honoraria); EPI Health – Advisory Board(Honoraria); Foundation for Research & Education of Dermatology – Advisory Board(Honoraria); Galderma Laboratories, L.P. – Advisory Board(Honoraria), Consultant(Fees), Investigator(Grants/Research Funding); Incyte – Advisory Board(Honoraria); Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc – Advisory Board(Honoraria); Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC – Consultant(Honoraria); Johnson and Johnson – Speaker(Honoraria); L'Oréal France – Advisory Board(Honoraria), Speaker(Honoraria); L'Oreal USA Inc. – Advisory Board(Honoraria), Consultant(Fees), Speaker(Honoraria); Leo Pharma Inc – Consultant(Fees); Leo Pharma Inc. – Advisory Board(Honoraria), Investigator(Grants/Research Funding); Medscape – Other(Honoraria); Novartis – Advisory Board(Honoraria); OptiNose Inc. – Advisory Board(Honoraria); Pfizer Inc. – Advisory Board(Fees), Advisory Board(Honoraria); RBC Consultants – Advisory Board(Honoraria); Regeneron – Advisory Board(Honoraria); Sanofi Genzyme – Advisory Board(Honoraria); Sanofi/Regeneron – Advisory Board(Honoraria), Speaker/Faculty Education(Honoraria); Sanova Works – Speaker(Honoraria); Springer Science & Business Media – Other(Other Financial Benefit); Swiss American – Advisory Board(Honoraria); UCB – Advisory Board(Fees); UpToDate, Inc. – Other(Other Financial Benefit); VisualDx – Advisory Board(Honoraria); Wiley-Blackwell – Other(Other Financial Benefit)