AUSTIN, Texas, Sept. 27, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- XBiotech (NASDAQ: XBIT) announced today that Dr. Alice Gottlieb will be presenting clinical findings for bermekimab in the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress being held in Madrid Spain October 9-13^th.  Dr. Gottlieb will present data from a multicenter, phase 2 study in which bermekimab monotherapy showed rapid and dose dependent improvement in AD. The presentation will be given during the October 12^th morning session for late breaking clinical data, Chaired by Professor Brigitte Dreno. A subset of these data were presented at the American Academy of Dermatology conference in Washington, D.C. in March of this year.

A highlight of the data to be reported is the observation that after only 8 weeks of bermekimab therapy, three-fourths of patients achieved 75% improvement in their Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI 75) scores, a key measure of disease severity in AD. The current standard of care and the only approved biological therapy for AD involves a 16 week treatment regimen, which clinical trials have shown to result in 44-51% of patients achieving 75% improvement in EASI score. Another key finding to be reported in the bermekimab study was a dramatic reduction in itch, which can be debilitating in eczema patients. An overall reduction of ≥4 points based on the Numerical Rating Scale for itch is considered clinically significant. Seventy-five percent of patients achieved ≥4 point reduction in 8 weeks.

Atopic dermatitis, commonly referred to as eczema, is characterized by chronic inflammation of the skin, which results in a breakdown of the skin barrier and leads to dry, thickened, scaly skin, redness, and itching, the latter which can be debilitating and result in significant sleep disturbances and loss of quality of life. There’s an estimated 18 million people with AD in the United States and the incidence is believed to be increasing in industrialized countries. Nearly 7 million persons in the U.S. are believed to have atopic dermatitis that is considered moderate to severe, which is the disease severity of subjects treated in the present study. The economic impact of AD is significant, with an estimate of nearly $40 billion in costs annually.

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XBiotech is a fully integrated global biosciences company dedicated to pioneering the discovery, development and commercialization of therapeutic antibodies based on its True Human™ proprietary technology. XBiotech currently is advancing a robust pipeline of antibody therapies to redefine the standards of care in oncology, inflammatory conditions and infectious diseases. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, XBiotech also is leading the development of innovative biotech manufacturing technologies designed to more rapidly, cost-effectively and flexibly produce new therapies urgently needed by patients worldwide. For more information, visit www.xbiotech.com. 

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Ashley Otero
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