Therapeutic Potential of Lebrikizumab in the Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, relapsing skin condition with a wide disease spectrum. Moderate-to-severe cases often need systemic treatment. Conventional immunosuppressants have extensive side effect profiles and require close monitoring. In recent decades, there has been increasing interest in developing targeted systemic immunomodulators for AD, as they have been shown to have efficacy for AD as well as favorable safety profiles. Herein, we review the recent data on lebrikizumab, an interleukin (IL)-13 inhibitor, and its potential role in the treatment of AD. OBJECTIVE: Review the mechanism of action, and available data on the efficacy and safety of lebrikizumab for the treatment of AD. METHODS: PubMed, Google Scholar, and clinicaltrials.gov searches were performed with the following terms: “atopic dermatitis,” “dermatitis,” “eczema,” “lebrikizumab,” “IL-4,” and “IL-13.” RESULTS: Two Phase II randomized controlled clinical trials have been conducted to evaluate the use of lebrikizumab in a total of 289 patients with moderate-severe AD and inadequate response to topical corticosteroids. Patients treated with lebrikizumab experienced significantly more improvement in their AD compared to placebo, as measured by Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI)-50 and EASI-75 scores, pruritus scores, and reduction in body surface area (BSA). Its clinical efficacy appears to be dose-dependent, and it has a favorable side effect profile and is generally well tolerated. CONCLUSION: Lebrikizumab appears to be a promising emerging targeted biologic for the treatment of moderate-to-severe AD. Further Phase III studies investigating optimal dosing regimens and safety profile are needed.