Alumis Initiates ONWARD Phase 3 Clinical Program Evaluating ESK-001, an Oral TYK2 Inhibitor, in Moderate-to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis

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Alumis Inc.

– Co-primary endpoint of PASI 75 and sPGA 0/1 score at 24 weeks to serve as basis for U.S. regulatory submission –

– Pivotal Phase 3 program supported by positive Phase 2 STRIDE clinical data as well as ongoing open-label extension (OLE) study –

– Topline data anticipated in 2026 –

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., July 29, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alumis Inc. (Nasdaq: ALMS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing oral therapies using a precision approach to optimize clinical outcomes and significantly improve the lives of patients with immune-mediated diseases, today announced that patient dosing has commenced in the ONWARD Phase 3 clinical program. This Phase 3 program consists of two identical 24-week global Phase 3 clinical trials (ONWARD1 and ONWARD2) designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ESK-001 in adult patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis and includes a long-term extension (LTE) trial, ONWARD3, that will evaluate durability and maintenance of response and long-term safety.

“For people suffering from moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, there remains a significant unmet need for an oral treatment that can deliver high efficacy without compromising safety. ESK-001’s ability to maximally inhibit the TYK2 target offers the potential to deliver a differentiated profile to address this critical need,” said Dr. J?rn Drappa, Alumis’ Chief Medical Officer. “The ONWARD Phase 3 program is designed to mirror the Phase 2 program, building on the positive Phase 2 data in which ESK-001 was generally well tolerated and showed significant therapeutic effect, particularly in the ongoing OLE that shows increasing and durable responses over time with longer treatment. We look forward to generating the Phase 3 data that will support global regulatory submissions to potentially bring ESK-001 to patients.”

“Initiating the ONWARD Phase 3 clinical program for ESK-001 is an important milestone for Alumis as it brings us one step closer to our goal of delivering improved clinical outcomes for patients with immune-mediated diseases,” said Martin Babler, President and Chief Executive Officer of Alumis. “We believe this Phase 3 clinical program will further establish the ESK-001 profile we have seen to date as potentially the first and only oral allosteric TYK2 inhibitor that is well tolerated at doses that deliver maximal target inhibition for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.”

ESK-001 is also being evaluated in LUMUS, a Phase 2b clinical trial of ESK-001 for the treatment of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. In addition, Alumis continues to leverage its precision data analytics platform to explore ESK-001’s potential application in other autoimmune indications.