Eli Lilly’s Ebglyss (lebrikizumab) will require strategic market positioning to differentiate it against more established atopic dermatitis treatments, though it is still expected to “capture market share”, according to analysts.
GlobalData healthcare analyst Filippos Maniatis said: “Ebglyss is expected to become one of the competitors of other therapies with similar mechanisms of action.”
Eli Lilly entered the US atopic dermatitis arena after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Ebglyss in late September this year. The US market size for atopic dermatitis, more commonly known as eczema, was estimated to be worth around $7.1bn last year, according to GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Centre.
GlobalData is the parent company of Pharmaceutical Technology.
“With a similar mechanism of action, as well as demonstrated efficacy and safety, Ebglyss is expected to capture market share from Dupixent (dupilumab) and Adbry (tralokinumab), contributing to the overall growth of the atopic dermatitis treatment market,” Maniatis added.
Currently, Sanofi and Regneron’s Dupixent dominates the space – with the autoimmune blockbuster generating sales of $11.6bn last year, up 33% from 2022. Leo Pharma’s Adbry is also an established treatment for atopic dermatitis but its sales are not disclosed by the drugmaker.
The three monoclonal antibodies work by preventing certain interleukins from binding to receptors, thereby reducing inflammatory signals. Because of their similar mechanistic action, market shares will depend on differentiating factors such as regimens, cost-effectiveness and patient experience.
Maniatis said: “According to key opinion leaders, Ebglyss may possess the advantage of less frequent dosing, as its maintenance dose is a subcutaneous injection 250mg every four weeks, compared to Dupixent and Adbry that have a dosing regimen of 300mg administered subcutaneously every two weeks.”
Despite potential advantages, uptake for Ebglyss will be slow and will depend on clinician preference, as is the case with most new therapies at market. More comparative studies between Ebglyss, Dupixent and Adbry will be “crucial in determining the relative efficacy and safety profiles”, GlobalData stated. This will also help clinicians plan more personalised treatment decisions and could influence patient preference.
Revenue is expected to keep growing for Dupixent, with GlobalData projecting the drug to earn $23.6bn in annual sales by 2030. Dupixent’s large annual takings are due to it being approved in further inflammatory conditions beyond just atopic dermatitis, including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Eli Lilly’s Ebglyss is expected to make $2.8bn in 2030, according to GlobalData.
