Diseases and Conditions

Atopic Dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease that usually starts in early infancy. In developed countries, AD affects 15-30% of children and 2-10% of adults. The predominant symptom is a red, itchy rash, which can have a significant impact on quality of life.

Topical steroids have been a mainstay of AD treatment for decades, but are associated with significant adverse events which may limit how much or how long they can be used. JAK inhibitors may offer a good alternative treatment option for AD. The challenge is to optimize delivery of the drug to the disease site (i.e., the skin) while minimizing systemic toxicity.

Alopecia areata is a common autoimmune disease impacting approximately 160 million people worldwide. It occurs when the immune system attacks hair follicles, causing hair loss on the scalp, face, and sometimes other areas of the body. There are different levels of severity, as measured by percent of scalp hair loss and the psychological impact of the disease.

There is no cure for alopecia areata, but there are treatments that help hair grow back more quickly including steroids and minoxidil. Great progress has been made in the treatment of alopecia areata with the advent of JAK inhibitors. There remains a need for therapies with improved benefit:risk profiles that can make safe and effective therapy accessible to more patients.

Vitiligo is a chronic (long-lasting) autoimmune disorder impacting up to 2% of people worldwide that causes patches of skin to lose pigment or color. This happens when melanocytes – skin cells that make pigment – are attacked and destroyed by the immune system, causing the skin to turn a milky-white color. Vitiligo can lead to stress, sadness, and low self-esteem, significantly reducing quality of life, especially in younger patients, impacting daily activities, careers, and relationships.

Common treatments include medications such as corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, topical JAK inhibitors, and biologics. While the availability of these and other therapies has improved the management vitiligo, there is a need for additional, well tolerated treatments to further improve treatment paradigms.

Asthma is one of the most common and costly U.S. diseases. It is caused by inflammation and muscle tightening around the airways, which makes it harder to breathe. Symptoms can include severe coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness. About 1 in 12 people (~25 million) in the U.S. have asthma; up to 10% have severe asthma. The annual economic cost is approximately $50 billion annually, including medical costs and loss of work and school days.

There is currently no cure for asthma, but there are treatments available. The most common are inhalers, which deliver medication directly to the lungs. Better therapies are needed; continued therapeutic improvement and innovation is needed to benefit patients' lives.

Chronic rhinosinusitis is an inflammatory sinus disease lasting 12 weeks or more. Chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (small noncancerous growths that line the nasal passages and sinuses) impacts up to 4% of the US population and can cause symptoms including anterior or posterior rhinorrhea, nasal congestion, loss of smell, facial pressure, and/or pain. Studies have shown that patients with CRSwNP had a significantly higher premorbid prevalence of conditions including acute rhinosinusitis, asthma, GERD, and sleep apnea.

The symptoms can be treated, but if they don’t respond to first line therapy, one or more biologic medications may be prescribed. There is a significant medical need for additional well tolerated and highly efficacious medicines.

COPD is a lung condition caused by damage to the lungs, resulting in irritation and inflammation inside the airways that limit airflow into and out of the lungs. Symptoms include cough, sometimes with phlegm, difficulty breathing, wheezing and tiredness. People with COPD are at higher risk of other health problems. COPD currently ranks among the top 5 causes of global mortality, responsible for 3 million deaths.

There is no current cure for COPD, but symptoms can improve with appropriate precautions. It can also be treated with medicines, including bronchodilators, oxygen, and pulmonary rehabilitation. There remains a need for continued therapeutic innovation to improve benefit:risk profiles and make safe and effective therapy accessible to more patients.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is an inflammatory disease affecting the gastrointestinal (GI) tract.  The two major types of IBD are ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease: Ulcerative Colitis is limited to the colon, while Crohn’s Disease can impact any segment of the GI tract.  Approximately 1-2 million people in the United States have IBD.  IBD most commonly presents in young adults (late adolescence to the third decade of life) and males and females are affected at a similar rate.

While the use of biological therapies have improved the medical treatment of IBD, there remains a great need for more effective therapies with an improved safety profile.