Novel pipeline agents to bring innovation to ulcerative colitis market: GlobalData
As the ulcerative colitis market continues to grow, the introduction of innovative therapies such as TLR9 agonists and MIR124 inhibitors will offer patients additional treatment options
The market for ulcerative colitis (UC) is filled with several different treatment options, and the pipeline is relatively strong. Novel agents such as toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) cobitolimod and microRNA 124 (MIR124) inhibitor obefazimod are expected to strengthen the market by bringing in more innovation to the space, says GlobalData.
Ramla Salad, Pharma Analyst at GlobalData, comments, “Cobitolimod is being developed by InDex pharmaceuticals, a newcomer to the IBD space. The mechanism of action (MOA) of this therapy is novel, and the company is hoping that it will become a first-in-class treatment for moderate to severe UC.
“Another interesting late-stage asset is Abivax SA’s ABX-464 (obefazimod), an oral MIR124 inhibitor. The asset is currently being investigated in a few Phase III trials: ABTECT-1 (NCT05507203), ABTECT-2 (NCT05507216), and ABTECT maintenance study (NCT05535946). Pivotal data is expected around May 2024 with the maintenance trial expected to read out in June 2025.”
The moderate to severe market is widely targeted by companies entering the space due to the large treatment population, but that also means there is fierce competition. These upcoming agents are expected to enter a mature market with many established products such as Janssen Biotech’s Remicade (infliximab) and AbbVie’s new entrant Rinvoq (upadacitinib), both of which are very prominent in the immunology arena.
Key opinion leaders (KOLs) interviewed by GlobalData have noted that the new MOAs are innovative and interesting, but more data is needed to increase confidence in their safety and efficacy profiles.
Salad concludes, “As the ulcerative colitis market continues to grow, the introduction of innovative therapies such as TLR9 agonists and MIR124 inhibitors will offer patients additional treatment options. However, further clinical studies are necessary to fully understand their potential benefits and ensure their safety in a highly competitive market.”
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