Sanofi halts development of troubled immune drug in eczema

An article from Dive Brief Sanofi halts development of troubled immune drug in eczema The decision to no longer seek approval of amlitelimab is the latest setback for a treatment Sanofi once hailed as a future blockbuster. Published July 24, 2026 Gwendolyn Wu Senior Reporter Share Copy link Email LinkedIn X/Twitter Facebook Print License Add us on Google Dive Brief: Sanofi is calling it quits on an experimental eczema drug that it had seen as a potential successor to its blockbuster medication Dupixent, according to a Friday announcement. Sanofi had said in January that it intended to seek clearance of the drug, amlitelimab, in atopic dermatitis despite mixed late-stage study results and signs of possible safety concerns. On Friday, though, the French pharmaceutical firm said that, during a pipeline review, it found that the “totality of efficacy and safety evidence generated to date” doesn’t support further development of amlitelimab in that indication. Sanofi’s decision follows a recent move by Amgen and Kyowa Kirin to shelve a similar experimental medicine. The pharma company will continue testing amlitelimab in celiac disease, though, and is slated to reveal data from a mid-stage study by the end of the year. Dive Insight: Amlitelimab came to Sanofi by way of a $1.1 billion acquisition of Kymab, a U.K.-based biotechnology company, in 2021. At the time, then-CEO Paul Hudson said the drug — which targets an immune regulator called OX40L — could be useful for patients who don’t respond to approved medications. In the five years since, Sanofi advanced the drug to the precipice of an approval filing. But the picture that emerged was messy, with amlitelimab meeting its objectives in some, but not all of Sanofi’s late-stage trials and proving less potent than investors had hoped. Cases of a kind of skin cancer called Kaposi’s sarcoma in drug recipients were also reported. In the meantime, partners Amgen and Kyowa Kirin also ran into trouble with another OX40L-targeting antibody called rocatinlimab. Amgen in January backed out of a deal with Kyowa Kirin after recording late-stage results Wall Street analysts viewed as disappointing. Kyowa Kirin later abandoned the therapy altogether after a safety review unearthed a potential link to the same skin cancer seen in testing of amlitelimab. Amlitelimab was seen as one way for Sanofi to build on its success with Dupixent, which brought in $17.8 billion in 2025 but will lose patent protection in 2031. Friday’s update is the latest in a series of research setbacks that have raised questions about the company’s future. Sanofi swapped CEOs in February in an effort to better strengthen its research and development work. In a note to clients, Leerink Partners analyst David Risinger called the decision to end amlitelimab’s run in eczema “not unexpected” given the safety troubles unearthed in testing. He predicted Sanofi would dip into a dealmaking budget of more than 15 billion euros to shore up its portfolio. “We look forward to potential future strategic action to add new long-term revenue drivers,” Risinger wrote. Recommended Reading Kyowa Kirin abandons touted eczema drug following safety review By Delilah Alvarado • March 3, 2026 Add us on Google Share Copy link Email LinkedIn X/Twitter Facebook Print License Filed Under: Pharma