Corvus Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:CRVS) shares surged 48% on Tuesday after the company released positive findings from a Phase 1 clinical study of its oral drug candidate soquelitinib in atopic dermatitis.
The clinical-stage biotech said cohort 4 of its randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial delivered safety and efficacy outcomes that were consistent with — and in some cases stronger than — earlier cohorts. According to the data, 75% of patients treated with soquelitinib achieved EASI 75, compared with 20% in the placebo arm. In addition, 25% of treated patients reached EASI 90, while 33% achieved an Investigator Global Assessment score of 0 or 1. No patients in the placebo group met these higher efficacy thresholds.
The company highlighted that the eight-week treatment duration used in cohort 4 resulted in deeper clinical responses than the four-week regimens tested previously. Soquelitinib also showed meaningful activity in patients who had already received systemic therapies, including those who had not responded to dupilumab or JAK inhibitors.
“The results from cohort 4 increase our confidence that soquelitinib could become a leading oral therapy for the treatment of atopic dermatitis,” said Richard A. Miller, co-founder, president and chief executive officer of Corvus. “The results also support our hypothesis from cohort 3 that the longer treatment could achieve deepening of clinical responses.”
Corvus said it plans to launch a Phase 2 trial in the first quarter of 2026, enrolling patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis who have failed at least one prior topical or systemic treatment.
No new safety concerns were identified in the study. Adverse events were reported in 41.7% of patients receiving soquelitinib, compared with 50% in the placebo group, with all events classified as Grade 1 or 2 and none leading to dose reductions or treatment interruptions.