Spyre Therapeutics cuts rheumatoid arthritis program after weak Phase 2 TL1A antibody results

Spyre Therapeutics reported that its Phase 2 study of the anti‑TL1A antibody SPY072 in rheumatoid arthritis did not meet the efficacy expectations set earlier this year. The company said the data fell short of the targets that analysts and the CEO had highlighted at a recent investor event.

At week 12, the high and low doses of SPY072 reduced the DAS28‑CRP score by 1.5 and 1.9 points respectively, while the placebo arm showed a 1.3‑point drop. After adjusting for placebo, the improvements were well below the one‑point change the company had hoped to achieve, and only the low dose reached statistical significance.

Additional measures of patient improvement, such as ACR20, ACR50 and ACR70 response rates, also missed the projected gains of roughly 30, 20 and 10 percentage points. In response, Spyre said it will deprioritize further development of SPY072 as a monotherapy for rheumatoid arthritis.