Yahoo Finance Nektar (NKTR) Begins Phase IIb Study Rezpeg in Alopecia Areata
Nektar Therapeutics NKTR announced that it has initiated a new mid-stage study that will evaluate its pipeline candidate, rezpegaldesleukin (rezpeg), for treating patients with severe to very severe alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder characterized by patchy hair loss.
Alopecia areata is a condition affecting nearly 700,000 of the American population currently. The disease has a tremendous adverse impact on the quality of life of the patients.
The double-blind, placebo-controlled, global phase IIb study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of rezpeg in patients with severe to very severe alopecia areata over a period of 36-week induction treatment. The study will compare two different dosing regimens of rezpeg versus placebo in 84 participants during the induction period.
The primary efficacy endpoint of the study is the mean percent improvement in the Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) at week 36 of treatment.
Shares of Nektar have plunged 33.5% in the past year compared with the industry’s decline of 2.4%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Nektar is also developing rezpeg for various other types of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
A phase IIb study is evaluating rezpeg in biologic-naïve patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, also called eczema. Initial data from this study is expected in the first half of 2025.
It is to be noted that NKTR regained full rights to rezpeg from Eli Lily LLY in April 2023, and took charge of its clinical development.
Rezpeg was earlier developed in collaboration with LLY for several autoimmune indications. It is now a wholly owned asset of Nektar and the company does not owe any further royalty payment to Lilly.
Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider
Nektar currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
Some better-ranked stocks in the healthcare sector are Indivior PLC INDV and Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. VNDA, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
In the past 60 days, estimates for Indivior’s 2024 earnings per share have improved from $1.83 to $1.95. In the past year, shares of INDV have risen 12.9%.
Indivior’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing three quarters, delivering an average surprise of 48.06%.
In the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Vanda Pharmaceuticals’ 2024 bottom line has improved from a loss of 46 cents per share to earnings of 1 cent. In the past year, shares of VNDA have plunged 34.1%.
Vanda Pharmaceuticals’ earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing three quarters, delivering an average surprise of92.88%.
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Eli Lilly and Company (LLY) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VNDA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Indivior PLC (INDV) : Free Stock Analysis Report
