Dylan Stoll | Health Editor
Featured Image: Lead researcher Professor Graham Ogg has high hopes for novel eczema treatment etokimab. | Courtesy of Pixabay
Researchers from the University of Oxford in the UK have developed a new drug treatment for atopic dermatitis, otherwise known as eczema. Through a proof of concept study funded by AnaptysBio, a clinical stage antibody development company, the researchers determined that their new drug, referred to as etokimab, is capable of mitigating the effects of eczema by targeting an upstream signalling molecule involved in the body’s immune response known as interleukin 33 (IL-33).
Eczema is an ailment that is the result of the immune system’s overreaction to damaged skin cells, which in turn causes one’s skin to become dry, cracked, swollen and painful. It is estimated that over 17 per cent of Canadians will develop atopical dermatitis at some point in their lives.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for eczema, but there are treatments that have been developed in the past to help ease the symptoms. Some of those treatments include dietary changes, creams and what are known as immunosuppressants; drugs used to suppress the immune system’s response to allergens that cause eczema.
However, the problem with current immunosuppressants is that they tend to have severe side effects such as liver problems, high blood pressure, headaches, dizziness and nausea.
Hopefully, etokimab will have less detrimental side effects; in order to determine that, the drug must go through a series of stages. Their first stage, the aforementioned proof of concept study, discovered that of the 12 participants involved, 83 per cent had their symptoms significantly reduced. Not only that, when their blood was tested at the end of the trial, it was found to contain 40 per cent less immune cells known as eosinophils, which are cells that are involved in an individual’s allergen sensitivity.
Lead researcher, Professor Graham Ogg, spoke to MedicalNewsToday about their new findings: “This clinical trial is the first time we’ve looked at how blocking IL-33 can help people with atopic dermatitis,” said Ogg. “We have found they experienced significant improvement in their symptoms after a single dose.”
Though the findings are exciting, it is important to remember that the study completed involved a mere 12 participants. To more confidently confirm their results, the researchers aim to test etokimab on a much larger 300-patient sample size for their next trial run.
“We’re currently testing the therapy in a larger double-blind randomized trial in people with atopic dermatitis,” explained Ogg. “We look forward to seeing the results.”
