EQ101 Demonstrates Efficacy and Tolerability for Alopecia Areata Treatment

Equillium, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, has reported its findings from a phase 2 study of EQ101, a new treatment for patients with moderate to severe alopecia areata (AA). 

What is EQ101?

EQ101 is a first-in-class, selective, tri-specific inhibitor that targets IL-2, IL-9, and IL-15 proteins involved in the immune response. These proteins have been implicated in the pathogenesis of AA. IL-2 stimulates the immune response by enhancing T-cell activation and proliferation, which can contribute to the autoimmune attack on hair follicles in AA. IL-9 is known to promote the differentiation and activation of T-cells and mast cells, which could contribute to the inflammatory response in AA. IL-15 promotes the survival of autoreactive memory T-cells, which can contribute to the autoimmune response in AA. It also induced the expression of TNF-α and IL-1β, further enhancing the inflammatory response.

Trial Results

According to the press release, 36 participants with at least 35% scalp hair loss were enrolled, with 25 participants completing the study. 

• Out of 25 participants, 5 achieved a Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score of less than or equal to 20 (20% scalp hair loss or less). However, none of the 8 patients in the “very severe” group achieved this score.
• On average, the participants saw a 13.5% improvement in hair growth from the baseline

The treatment was well-tolerated, with no serious adverse events. 98.9% of adverse events were mild-to-moderate, including upper respiratory tract infections, headaches, and fatigue. 

Equilium plans to further investigate EQ101’s effectiveness across different severity levels of AA, particularly moderate cases.

Reflections

We have covered a number of potential alopecia areata treatments in recent times.

Just last year, the FDA approved ritlecitinib for the treatment of severe alopecia areata in people over the age of 12. Since then, potential treatments such as bempikibart (Horizon Therapeutics), IMG-007 (Inmagene), REZPEG (Nektar Therapeutics), and STS-01 (Soterios Pharma) have made the news with their progress in the AA space. Furthermore, the range of targets of these drugs indicates a number of potential avenues of treatment of not just severe AA but mild-to-moderate AA as well. 

Let us know in the comments what you think about the recent news showing progress in AA research.