Eli Lilly and Almirall have announced positive long-term results for their targeted IL-13 inhibitor Ebglyss (lebrikizumab-lbkz) in moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD).

The ADjoin long-term extension study has been evaluating two dosing schedules of the drug in patients who completed 52 weeks in the phase 3 ADvocate 1 or 2 trials.

Results presented at this year’s European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology Congress showed that 84% of patients receiving Ebglyss once monthly and 83% of those receiving the drug every two weeks maintained clear or almost-clear skin at three years.

Additionally, 87% of patients in the once-monthly Ebglyss cohort and 79% of those receiving the drug every two weeks achieved or maintained at least a 90% improvement in disease extent and severity at three years, while 83% and 91% of patients in the respective dosing groups did not require either high-potency topical corticosteroids or systemic treatments.

Typically referred to as eczema, AD is an inflammatory condition that causes the skin to become itchy, dry and cracked. It occurs in approximately 7.3% of adults in the US, and of those affected, about 40% have moderate or severe symptoms.

The latest results came less than two weeks after the US Food and Drug Administration approved Ebglyss to treat moderate-to-severe AD in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and older with a body weight of at least 40kg and whose condition is not well controlled despite treatment with topical prescription therapies.

The drug was also recently recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for use on the NHS in England and Wales, and was approved by the European Commission last year.

Lilly has exclusive rights for development and commercialisation of Ebglyss in the US and the rest of the world outside Europe, where Almirall has licensed the rights to develop and commercialise the drug as a treatment for dermatology indications.