Eli Lilly, Incyte's Olumiant notches another atopic dermatitis win. But can it fight Dupixent?

Eli Lilly and Incyte are investing heavily in JAK inhibitor Olumiant's chances in atopic dermatitis with a suite of phase 3 studies—and it just put up a pivotal win in another of them. But does the latecomer really stand a chance against Sanofi and Regeneron's steamroller Dupixent?

Olumiant beat out standard-of-care topical corticosteroids in reducing the symptoms of atopic dermatitis (AD) after 16 weeks in patients whose symptoms had not been controlled by cyclosporine, according to top-line phase 3 data released Monday. 

Patients treated with a 4-milligram dose of Olumiant in the Breeze-AD4 study achieved 75% clearer skin over baseline at a significantly higher rate than patients treated with placebo who failed to respond to cyclosporine. 

Breeze-AD4 studied the efficacy and safety of 1-, 2- and 4-milligram doses of Olumiant over placebo, with only the 4-milligram dose showing statistically significant results, Lilly said. The drug's safety profile was consistent with previous studies and no deaths or venous thromboembolic events were reported. 

Olumiant is facing regulatory review in Europe as a treatment for AD, and the drugmakers expect to file in the U.S. and Japan this year. The partners plan to present full findings from the Breeze-AD4 study at an upcoming medical meeting, they said in a release. 

RELATED: Can Lilly JAK Olumiant, plagued by side effects, really challenge Dupixent in dermatitis?