Just days before it’s set to share new data for its lead candidate, Alumis raised $259 million in a series C that will bring that same programme into pivotal trials. Best-in-class selectivity?
Alumis thinks ESK-001 could be best-in-class in the increasingly competitive TYK2-autoimmune space. For more on the psoriasis landscape, see KOL Views Q&A: Leading dermatologist lays out decision tree for psoriasis treatments. According to Alumis, ESK-001 is designed to be more selective for TYK2 than Sotyktu or other therapies in the clinic. The compound showed no pharmacological inhibition of JAK1/2/3 in Phase I testing, with no observed JAK-related safety events to-date. Wednesday’s financing will also support two separate, ongoing Phase II trials of ESK-001: the LUMUS study in systemic lupus erythematosus, and the OPTYK-1 proof-of-concept trial in non-infectious uveitis.