Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) said lebrikizumab-lbkz (Ebglyss) met its primary and secondary endpoints at Week 16 in the phase 3b ADtouch study, showing improvements in skin clearance, itch, and pain in patients with moderate-to-severe hand and foot atopic dermatitis (AD), the company announced September 30, 2026.¹
Key facts
- Drug: lebrikizumab-lbkz (Ebglyss; Eli Lilly and Company)
- Class: IL-13 inhibitor (monoclonal antibody)
- Indication studied: Moderate-to-severe hand and foot atopic dermatitis (ages 12+, ≥40 kg)
- Trial: ADtouch (NCT06921759); phase 3b
- Primary endpoint met: Clear/almost clear hands and feet at Week 16—53% vs 27% placebo
- Secondary endpoints: Itch and pain relief, patient satisfaction with hand clearance
- Safety: Treatment-emergent adverse events 41.8% vs 39.6% placebo, all mild or moderate
- Regulatory status: Data submitted to FDA; label update sought for hand and foot AD
- Current approval: US (2024), Japan and Canada (2024), EU (2023) for moderate-to-severe AD, ages 12+
"When atopic dermatitis affects the hands and feet, persistent itch and pain can make simple things like walking or holding your child's hand a daily struggle," said Mark Genovese, MD, senior vice president of Lilly Immunology development, in a company press release.¹ "Data from the ADtouch study provide further evidence that EBGLYSS has the potential to rapidly improve skin clearance and itch and provide pain relief in the hands and feet without the need for topical treatments, giving people with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis the opportunity to spend less time managing symptoms."
What did the ADtouch trial show?
The primary endpoint, clear or almost clear hands and feet with at least a 2-point improvement, was met by 53% of lebrikizumab patients versus 27% on placebo at Week 16. Itch and pain both improved rapidly, with a 4-point or greater reduction reached by 57% versus 19% for itch and 59% versus 19% for pain at Week 16. On the novel Atopic Hand Dermatitis Clearance Satisfaction scale, 77% of patients were satisfied or very satisfied with hand clearance at Week 16, versus 40% on placebo.¹
"For people with hand and foot atopic dermatitis, a relatively small area of affected skin can have an outsized impact on daily life," said Shawn G. Kwatra, MD, Joseph W. Burnett endowed professor and chair in Dermatology, chief of service, Dermatology, University of Maryland School of Medicine and University of Maryland Medical Center, in the release.¹ "Patients treated with lebrikizumab experienced significant improvements in pain and itch, with nearly three times as many patients achieving meaningful pain improvement compared with placebo. The ADtouch data reinforce that disease burden extends beyond what clinicians can see and highlight the importance of evaluating outcomes that matter to people in improving their everyday lives."
How was the ADtouch trial designed?
ADtouch (NCT06921759) is a phase 3b, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that randomized 221 patients 1:1 to lebrikizumab 250 mg or placebo every 2 weeks, for 16 weeks.¹,² Eligible patients were 12 years and older, weighed at least 40 kg, had moderate-to-severe hand and foot AD for at least 1 year despite topical therapy, and had a Hand and Foot Investigator Global Assessment score of 3 or 4 at baseline.¹,²
