Teva Advances Anti-IL-15 Antibody Into Phase 2b for Vitiligo
Key Takeaways
- Teva plans to advance investigational anti-IL-15 monoclonal antibody (TEV-'408) into Phase 2b development for non-segmental vitiligo in Q4 2026.
- Interim Phase 1b data showed improvements in facial and total body repigmentation with no safety signals observed to date.
- TEV-'408 is designed for quarterly subcutaneous dosing.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. has announced plans to advance its investigational anti-interleukin-15 (IL-15) monoclonal antibody (TEV-'408) into a Phase 2b clinical trial for non-segmental vitiligo (NSV) in the fourth quarter of 2026 following encouraging interim Phase 1b results.
TEV-'408 is a Teva-discovered biologic designed to inhibit IL-15, a cytokine implicated in the persistence of autoreactive memory T cells believed to drive vitiligo pathogenesis. The investigational therapy is being developed as a quarterly (every 12 weeks) subcutaneous injection. The open-label Phase 1b study enrolled adults with active or stable NSV with facial Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (F-VASI) scores > 0.5 or total body VASI (T-VASI) scores > 5. Participants received two subcutaneous doses (at baseline and week 12 )with efficacy assessed at week 24.
IL-15 Targeting Shows Early Promise in Non-Segmental Vitiligo
Almost 75% of patients reported improvement in facial vitiligo; approximately half described their condition as "much improved" or "very much improved." Additionally, 42% achieved F-VASI50 and 21% achieved F-VASI75. Improvements in total body disease were also reported, with 55% of patients reported improvement in total body disease and 7% reached T-VASI50.
Notably, two-thirds of enrolled participants had vitiligo affecting more than 10% of body surface area at baseline, representing a population with limited therapeutic options. According to The therapy was well tolerated and no safety signals were reported to date. Patient follow-up in the Phase 1b study will continue through week 80.
"These encouraging data strengthen our confidence in the IL-15 pathway," Eric Hughes, MD, PhD, Executive Vice President, Global R&D and Chief Medical Officer at Teva, said in a statement. "We are excited by the potential of this program to offer a meaningful new option for people living with vitiligo."
Source
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. press release. July 7, 2026