ZURICH (Reuters) – Swiss drugmaker Novartis said on Monday its ligelizumab antibody treatment against recurring hives did not meet the goal of superiority to standard treatment omalizumab in a late-stage study.
Novartis’ PEARL 1 and PEARL 2 phase III studies met the goal for ligelizumab to show higher efficacy against chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) compared to placebo at week 12, but not compared to omalizumab, the company said in a statement.
“We are disappointed that we have been unable to demonstrate superior efficacy for ligelizumab versus standard of care in the treatment of CSU,” said John Tsai, head of global drug development and chief medical officer.
(Reporting by Silke Koltrowitz; Editing by Zuzanna Szymanska)
