Pfizer's Eucrisa Proves Safety In Kids With Atopic Dermatitis

Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) announced top-line results from a late-stage study, which evaluated its PDE4 inhibitor, Eucrisa (crisaborole ointment, 2%), for the treatment of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis (AD) or eczmema in children aged three months to two years.

The steroid-free topical treatment is already approved for eczema in patients aged two years and older in the United States and Canada. The drug is also marketed in Israel and Australia under the brand name Staquis for the given patient population.

The phase IV CrisADe CARE 1 study showed that Eucrisa was well-tolerated over a four- week regimen and its safety profile was consistent with the previous clinical studies. Pfizer plans to present detail results from this label expansion study at an upcoming scientific conference.

Shares of Pfizer have inched up 0.3% so far this year, underperforming the industry’s rise of 2.1%.

We would like to remind investors that Pfizer added Eucrisa to its portfolio with the acquisition of Anacor Pharmaceuticals in June 2016. The company estimates Eucrisa’s peak sales potential to be at least $2 billion.

Another interesting eczema candidate in Pfizer’s portfolio is its investigational JAK1 inhibitor, abrocitinib. In May this year, the company announced that a pivotal late-stage study evaluating abrocitinib for the treatment of moderate-to-severe AD, met all the co-primary and secondary endpoints.

The phase III program (B7451012) examined two doses (100mg and 200mg once daily) of abrocitinib (PF-04965842) monotherapy in patients aged 12 and above for over 12 weeks.

Notably, many companies are developing medicines to address AD/eczema. A key new entrant in the AD market is Sanofi (NASDAQ:SNY) /Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ (NASDAQ:REGN) Dupixent. Others also developing key immunology candidates in late-stage studies for AD include AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) (upadacitinib) and Lilly (NYSE:LLY) (Olumiant).

Zacks Rank

Pfizer currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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