Johnson & Johnson discontinues clinical trial of experimental drug for atopic dermatitis

Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson announced that it has discontinued a Phase II clinical trial of its experimental medication for the treatment of patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis after the drug failed to meet the required efficacy benchmarks during an interim analysis, CNBC reports.

The drug in question is JNJ-5939, which was being studied in patients with atopic dermatitis (eczema)—a chronic skin condition characterized by inflammation, redness, and intense itching.

The company specified that the drug was well-tolerated but did not reach the “high threshold” of efficacy required to continue its clinical development.

Nevertheless, Johnson & Johnson emphasized that it remains committed to developing new therapies for atopic dermatitis—a disease that affects over 100 million people worldwide.

The company is continuing work on other experimental treatments for eczema, including the bispecific antibodies NM26, PX128, and PX130, as well as the oral STAT6 inhibitor KP-723.

The market for atopic dermatitis therapies already features a number of approved medications, including Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent, AbbVie’s Rinvoq, Pfizer’s Cibinqo, Eli Lilly’s Ebglyss, as well as several generic drugs such as cetirizine.