Top 5 Articles of the Week: September 21-26

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1. KT-621 Shows Strong Phase 1 Results as First-in-Class Oral STAT6 Degrader

At the 2025 EADV Congress, Kymera Therapeutics shared phase 1 trial data for KT-621, the first oral degrader of STAT6, showing potential as a systemic therapy for Th2-driven diseases such as atopic dermatitis. In healthy volunteers, KT-621 achieved over 90% STAT6 degradation in blood and skin, with significant reductions in Th2-related biomarkers like TARC and Eotaxin-3—comparable to effects seen with dupilumab. The therapy was well tolerated, with no serious adverse events. Preclinical studies further confirmed its ability to block Th2 inflammation. Kymera is now advancing KT-621 into patient studies, with phase 1b results in AD expected later this year and phase 2b trials in AD and asthma planned for 2025–2026.

2. EADV 2025: Full Congress Recap

At EADV 2025 in Paris, France, dermatology researchers presented a wide array of advances spanning inflammatory disease, biologics, novel therapies, and quality-of-life data. Key highlights included promising results for roxatinlimab (anti-OX40) in atopic dermatitis, sustained efficacy of bimekizumab in psoriasis out to 4 years, and early success with oral STAT6 degrader KT-621, which showed biomarker changes comparable to dupilumab. Other notable findings included new data on ruxolitinib cream in prurigo nodularis, delgocitinib cream in adolescent hand eczema, and several oral and biologic options showing durability across psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa, and urticaria subtypes.

3. FDA Approval Brings New Nonsteroidal Option for Pediatric AD

The FDA has approved ruxolitinib cream (Opzelura; Incyte) for children aged 2 to 11 years with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis, making it the first topical JAK inhibitor available for this age group in the US. Approval was supported by the phase 3 TRuE-AD3 trial, which enrolled 330 children and showed that ruxolitinib achieved significantly higher rates of skin clearance, itch relief, and quality-of-life improvement compared with vehicle. Benefits were seen as early as 2 weeks and were consistent across younger and older children. Safety findings were in line with prior studies, with most adverse events mild and no signals of systemic JAK-related risks. Experts note this provides a long-awaited steroid-sparing option for pediatric AD, expanding treatment beyond topical corticosteroids and offering families a faster-acting, well-tolerated therapy.

4. First-in-Class IL-2 Pathway Agonist Advances in AD

At the 2025 EADV Congress, investigators shared positive phase 2b REZOLVE-AD trial results for rezpegaldesleukin (REZPEG; Nektar), an IL-2 pathway agonist that expands regulatory T cells to restore immune balance in atopic dermatitis (AD). Among 393 patients with moderate to severe AD, REZPEG achieved significantly greater EASI improvement at 16 weeks compared with placebo, with response rates up to 61% reduction in EASI and 42–46% achieving EASI-75. High-dose treatment also improved itch, sleep, pain, and quality-of-life scores. Safety was acceptable, with adverse events similar to placebo and few serious events reported. Extended dosing showed deepening responses, and crossover from placebo led to further gains. With FDA Fast Track designation in AD and alopecia areata, REZPEG is emerging as a potential first-in-class Treg-targeted therapy for patients who remain uncontrolled on current options.

5. Galvokimig Achieves High EASI Scores in Pilot Study

At the 2025 EADV Congress, UCB reported encouraging early-phase results for galvokimig, a multispecific antibody designed to block IL-13, IL-17A, and IL-17F in atopic dermatitis (AD). In a phase 1/2a trial of 47 patients with moderate to severe AD, 64.9% of galvokimig-treated patients achieved EASI-75 at week 12 compared with 12.3% on placebo, while nearly half reached EASI-90. The treatment was generally well tolerated over 18 weeks, with mild adverse events such as rhinitis and headache reported. By targeting both Th2- and Th17-driven pathways, galvokimig may address the heterogeneity of AD. Larger phase 2b trials are now underway to further evaluate its efficacy and safety.