Vixarelimab Demonstrates Sustained Dose-Dependent Benefits for Prurigo Nodularis
Significant reduction seen in the mean Worst Itch Numeric Rating Scale scores for high-, mid-, low-dose vixarelimab versus placebo
By Dermsquared Editorial Team | December 23, 2025
MONDAY, Dec. 22, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- For adults with prurigo nodularis (PN), vixarelimab, a monoclonal antibody targeting oncostatin M receptor β, demonstrates sustained, dose-dependent clinical benefits, according to a study published online Dec. 17 in JAMA Dermatology.
Sonja Ständer, M.D., from Münster University Hospital in Germany, and colleagues conducted a double-blind, randomized clinical trial involving patients aged 18 to 80 years with physician-diagnosed PN of at least six months duration and moderate-to-severe pruritus. Participants were randomly assigned to receive monthly subcutaneous injections of vixarelimab 540 mg, 360 mg, or 120 mg (high-, mid-, and low-dose groups) or placebo (47, 47, 47, and 48 patients, respectively) during the 16-week double-blind period. All participants received vixarelimab 360 mg every two weeks during the 36-week open-label extension.
The researchers observed a significant reduction in the mean Worst Itch Numeric Rating Scale (WI-NRS) scores at week 16 for vixarelimab across all doses compared with placebo (−56.2, −51.0, and −33.0 percent for high-, mid-, and low-dose, respectively, versus −14.5 percent for placebo). For patients in the high-, mid-, and low-dose vixarelimab groups, clinically meaningful 4-point or greater reductions in WI-NRS were achieved by 66.0, 61.7, and 29.8 percent, respectively, compared with 16.7 percent in the placebo group. The vixarelimab groups also had higher PN Investigator Global Assessment scores of 0 or 1 (38.3, 29.8, and 14.9 percent for high-, mid-, and low-dose groups, respectively, compared with 10.4 percent for placebo). During the study, there were no fatal or serious drug-related treatment-emergent adverse events reported.
"These results highlight the favorable benefit-risk profile of vixarelimab," the authors write.
Several authors disclosed ties to biopharmaceutical companies, including Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, which manufactures vixarelimab and funded the study. Genentech funded editing and writing assistance.