Breakthroughs on the Horizon:
A Quarterly Update from Clinical Trials
Articles > Clinical Trials > Breakthroughs on the Horizon: Latest Developments in Vitiligo Research Q2 2024
Welcome to our April through June edition on vitiligo treatment development. Learn what’s happening to help vitiligo patients receive more effective and convenient treatment options.
It’s tempting to say that it was a slow quarter for vitiligo. There wasn’t a lot of individual news developments but we’ve got at least one story we are really excited about.
That’s the beginning of recruitment for Vyne’s new topical medication for non-segmental vitiligo. We are proud to be one of the three sites in Canada who are going to be helping test the study gel. More on that below.
Aside from that, the RECELL system that improves skin grafting therapies has released its next generation offering with positive clinical trial results for vitiligo.
Incyte is collaborating with a Chinese firm, allowing them to test and produce Povorcitinib in China.
Lastly, Nektar Therapeutics will be developing a new drug that seeks to teach the immune system to regulate the disease.
Read on to learn more about the newest developments in vitiligo clinical therapy.
Drug Name: VYN201
Manufacturing Company: Vyne Therapeutics
Market Name: Not Announced
Clinical Trials: Name Not Found
Mechanism of Action: BET Inhibitor
VYN201 is a groundbreaking topical treatment specifically designed for nonsegmental vitiligo. As a BET inhibitor, it targets inflammation at the root, helping restore skin pigmentation with minimal side effects.
In early trials, patients saw up to a 39% improvement in facial vitiligo in just 16 weeks, with a rapid onset of action. This precision-focused gel provides significant results with low systemic exposure.
We are one of the three sites in Canada who will be running clinical trials to test VYN201. recruitment will last until December of 2024, and you can find it in our clinical studies page until then. There are more details there.
Drug Name: Povorcitinib
Manufacturing Company: Incyte in Collaboration with China Medical System Holdings (CMS)
Market Name: TBA
Clinical Trials: Name Not Found
Mechanism of Action: JAK1 Inhibitor
Povorcitinib has been in the pipeline for a few years now, having completed some Phase I and Phase II clinical trials (2023). It is a selective JAK 1 inhibitor which may have the advantage of reducing low blood cell counts that have been noted with JAK 2 inhibitors so far. In trials it was shown to be very effective at repigmenting vitiligo, and needs to be tested further to see how it responds in a variety of different individual characteristics (ethnicities, age, sex, etc.).
Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturer China Medical System Holdings (CMS) has entered into an agreement to develop the molecule with Incyte. CMS will research, develop, and potentially distribute povorcitinib as well in China. Incyte will receive a licensing fee and potentially royalties on the sales of the biologic as well if all goes well.
If successful, povorcitinib represents a more effective and safer biologic than other competitors in this space.
RECELL GO
Manufacturing Company: AVITA Medical
Market Name: RECELL GO
Clinical Trials: Name Not Found
Mechanism of Action: Autologous Skin Cell Harvesting and Reapplication
Did you know that in the 2000’s, researchers found a way to create a mixture of our skin cells which they could then spray on? It improved the recovery times of burn victims and reduced overall scarring dramatically.
A decade later, Avita Medical developed the RECELL system. It was the first commercially available system based on the science that created the spray on skin, and would reduce the need for specific equipment and training, leading to greater availability of this type of treatment.
Now, in May of 2024, a more streamlined version of the RECELL technology has been approved by the FDA. The RECELL GO is more user-friendly and less labour intensive than the original RECELL, and after the older technologies’ success in treating burn wounds focus has been shifting toward its ability to treat vitiligo.
Quoting from the source: “When choosing RECELL, clinicians and patients can realize several significant advantages over traditional skin grafting: Improved healing is achieved using significantly less donor skin, pain is reduced, closure is faster, and the aesthetic appearance at the RECELL-harvested donor site is improved. Fewer procedures are required for definitive closure. There’s a reduction in the length of stay for burns covering less than 50% Total Body Surface Area (TBSA).
Also, “Six months after treatment 56% of patients achieved at least a 50% improvement in vitiligo and 36% achieved at least an 80% improvement, with 100% durability being recorded at 1 year. About eighty percent of patients also called the treatment successful.”
Drug Name: TBA
Manufacturing Company: Nektar Therapeutics
Market Name: Not Announced
Mechanism of Action: Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Type 2 (TNFR2)
A new biologic molecule for vitiligo has entered the pipeline. Using a proprietary AI tool to design and test for an optimized starting point in development, Nektar Therapeutics will seek to begin clinical testing using the new molecule. The drug is highly designed – and will target a significant mechanism to control autoimmune diseases, including vitiligo. By modulating the immune system pathway known as Tumor necrosis factor receptor type 2 (TNFR2, for short), dermatologists hope to stimulate the immune system into regulating the disease.
SimcoDerm is a full service, comprehensive dermatology clinic located in Barrie. We provide our services to all the patients in Simcoe County and beyond.
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