Benzinga | Mar 15, 2021 07:03AM EDT

Aclaris Therapeutics Completes Enrollment In Phase 2a Clinical Trial Of ATI-1777 For Moderate To Severe Atopic Dermatitis; Data Expected Mid-Year 2021

WAYNE, Pa., March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACRS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel drug candidates for immuno-inflammatory diseases, today announced that it has completed enrollment in its Phase 2a clinical trial of ATI-1777, an investigational topical "soft" Janus kinase (JAK) 1/3 inhibitor, for the potential treatment of moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD) (ATI-1777-AD-201).

ATI-1777-AD-201 is a Phase 2a, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial to determine the efficacy, safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of ATI-1777 in subjects with moderate to severe AD. Subjects will apply ATI-1777 or vehicle twice daily for 4 weeks. The primary endpoint is the percentage change from baseline in the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) score at week 4.

"This is an important trial because it explores whether a topical JAK inhibitor can successfully treat moderate to severe AD rather than mild disease," said Dr. David Gordon, Chief Medical Officer of Aclaris. "We hope to establish that a topical JAK inhibitor can safely and effectively treat moderate to severe AD while limiting systemic exposure."

Dr. Neal Walker, President and CEO of Aclaris, said, "This is another important milestone for the Company for its second development program generated by KINect(r), our proprietary drug discovery platform. Earlier this year, we announced our positive preliminary topline results for our Phase 2a clinical trial of ATI-450, our investigational oral MK2 inhibitor, for moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. We are very pleased with the progress of our development programs."

Aclaris expects data from this trial by mid-year 2021.