NEW YORK, March 9, 2026, 14:39 EDT
Pfizer’s experimental eczema treatment, tilrekimig, hit its main target in a mid-stage trial, the company said Monday. That outcome sets up a late-stage study slated for later this year, pushing Pfizer nearer to a market still dominated by Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent.
This win carries weight for Pfizer as it hunts for fresh sources of growth. Back in December, the company warned that its 2026 adjusted profit wouldn’t meet Wall Street’s expectations, thanks to sliding COVID product sales and looming loss of exclusivity on several older drugs.
Atopic dermatitis is packed with pricey options. Dupixent brought in $17.8 billion globally in 2025 sales. Eli Lilly’s Ebglyss joined the fray with its once-monthly shot, up against oral rivals like AbbVie’s Rinvoq and Pfizer’s own Cibinqo.
Tilrekimig, a trispecific antibody built to shut down three inflammatory pathways simultaneously, helped more patients reach EASI-75 after 16 weeks in every dose group, Pfizer reported. That measure reflects at least a 75% improvement on the standard eczema severity scale.
During the monthly dosing phase, placebo-adjusted EASI-75 rates landed at 38.7% for the low dose, 51.9% for the middle, and 49.4% at the high end. Pfizer reported tolerability in line with placebo; three serious adverse events surfaced but were considered unrelated to the treatment.
Mike Vincent, who heads inflammation and immunology at Pfizer, said the data indicate tilrekimig may offer “improved efficacy over the standard of care.” He added that Pfizer’s looking at a “broad clinical development program” targeting eczema, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Pfizer
BMO’s Evan Seigerman flagged that the data hint at a competitive showing for Pfizer in atopic dermatitis, noting the drug posted stronger early efficacy than Dupixent. Still, more detail on safety and placebo response will be key. Pfizer stock slipped roughly 1.6% during afternoon hours in New York.
That risk is front and center now. Pfizer hasn’t released the full data, nor has it presented the findings at any medical conference yet. The company says more detailed results will be coming later, so for now, investors and doctors are stuck waiting to assess safety and durability before they can really lean on the topline numbers.
Pfizer has Cibinqo on the U.S. market already—a once-daily eczema pill first approved in 2022—but adding tilrekimig could beef up its position in biologics, those injectable drugs that have pushed much of the industry’s growth. Over at Lilly, Ebglyss got its green light in 2024 and is given once a month for adults; Dupixent, by comparison, requires dosing every two weeks in adults.
Pfizer expects to kick off the pivotal trial before the year wraps up. The latest result hands the drugmaker another possible pipeline boost as it works to regain its footing.
