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. The challenge is to optimize delivery of the drug to the disease site (i.e., the skin) while minimizing systemic toxicity. New effective treatment options including biologics are needed for people living with AD.

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.

Lichen planus is a chronic, inflammatory, CD8 cytotoxic T-cell-driven interface dermatitis impacting approximately 0.1% to 1.0% of the population. The most common subtypes are erosive mucosal, cutaneous, and lichen planopilaris, a rare form of LP that causes scarring and permanent hair loss. Symptoms include sores, difficulty eating, severe itch, scales/plaques, hair loss, and fatigue. Quality of life is also affected in most patients, due to anxiety and depression. There is also the potential for malignancy in certain subtypes.

There is no cure for lichen planus, so disease management focuses on immunosuppression and topical symptom control. There is a great need for new oral therapies to provide rapid pain and itch relief, address multi-site disease involvement, minimize flares, and improve quality of life.

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.