JAK1 inhibitors are therapies that are being investigated to treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases by dampening the immune system and preventing it from attacking the body’s own cells. In healthy people, the immune system is the body’s defense against infection. In people with autoimmune diseases, the immune system can become too active and mistakenly attack the body’s own cells.
Now, NS Pharma is working to utilize the benefits of JAK1 inhibitors to develop a treatment for people with rare conditions like with eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA).
JAK1 inhibition can lower eosinophil levels. In people with EGPA, this could reduce blood vessel inflammation, potentially halting further tissue damage and symptoms.
NS Pharma is developing a selective JAK1 inhibitor, NS-229, for the rare autoimmune disease EGPA. A Phase 2, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study to gauge the efficacy and safety of NS-229 in the treatment of EGPA is underway in the United States, Europe, and Japan. People with EGPA often have abnormally high numbers of eosinophils and highly activated lymphocytes, both of which are a type of white blood cell.
High eosinophil levels and activated lymphocytes cause inflammation of small blood vessels, resulting in restricted blood flow. Symptoms vary depending on the organ(s) affected but frequently include shortness of breath, skin rashes, and nerve pain.
