Pfizer keeps pushing its inflammation pipeline

 The longevity of Pfizer’s Covid-related revenues was the hottest topic at the group’s earnings yesterday, but pipeline progress elsewhere is equally important, and several updates in the inflammation and immunology space caught the eye. This is a big area for Pfizer, with etrasimod, recently acquired from Arena, star of the show. Failure overnight with a rival S1P agent from Connect adds weight to Pfizer’s claim of having a best-in-class agent; a pivotal trial in atopic dermatitis will start later this year, it was announced yesterday. The Jak3/Tec inhibitor ritlecitinib is also primed for further phase 3 studies, while executives described data on the group's TL1A MAb as “very strong”, particularly in a biomarker-selected group. Data due on that asset later this year are keenly awaited, particularly for those with similar assets such as Prometheus, whose stock jumped 11% yesterday on those comments. Less encouraging was Pfizer’s discontinuation of its Irak-4 inhibitor in a rare skin condition, a move that knocked shares in a small rival. With a couple more assets added to Pfizer’s inflammation and immunology pipeline, and several others being advanced, progress here will be closely watched – and this space remains likely to see further dealmaking.

Pfizer's inflammation and immunology pipeline: progress and setbacks
Project	Mechanism	Settings
>Etrasimod (from Arena)	S1P inhibitor	Ph3: ulcerative colitis, atopic dermatitis to start Q4; ph2b: Crohn's disease; ph2: eosinophilic esophagitis, alopecia areata.
Ritlecitinib (PF-06651600)	Jak3/Tec Inhibitor	Ph3: alopecia areata; ph2: ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, vitiligo
PF-06650833	Irak4 inhibitor	Ph2: hidradenitis suppurativa abandoned; project continues only in an RA combination trial
PF-06480605	TL1A MAb	Ph2: ulcerative colitis
PF-06823859	IFNB1 antagonist	Ph2: dermatomyositis
PF-07038124	Topical PDE4 inhibitor	Ph2: atopic dermatitis and psoriasis
>RIST4721 (option from Aristea)	CXCR2 antagonist	Ph2: palmoplantar pustulosis
Dekavil (from Philogen)	F8 MAb-IL-10 fusion product	Ph2: rheumatoid arthritis
>PF-06835375	Anti-CXCR5	Ph2: immune thrombocytopenic purpura; ph1: lupus
PF-07054894	CCR6 Antagonist	Ph1: inflammatory bowel disease (trial in healthy volunteers)
PF-07242813	CD1a inhibitor	Ph1: atopic dermatitis
PF-07295324* plus PF-07259955	Topical Soft Jak Inhibitors	Ph1: atopic dermatitis (trial in healthy volunteers)
>Advanced to next phase; *new to pipeline. Source: company communication.  https://www.evaluate.com/vantage/articles/news/trial-results-snippets/pfizer-keeps-pushing-its-inflammation-pipeline