Evommune gives up hope for MRGPRX2 antagonist to treat itch after latest phase 2 fail

Biotech Evommune gives up hope for MRGPRX2 antagonist to treat itch after latest phase 2 fail By James Waldron Sep 9, 2026 4:04am Evommune atopic dermatitis failed trials migraine Evommune’s G-protein coupled receptor X2 (MRGPRX2) antagonist has flunked another phase 2 trial, wiping out the biotech’s last hopes of developing the therapy for any itch-related conditions. The company had been evaluating the asset, dubbed EVO756, against placebo in 121 adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD). The phase 2 trial missed its primary endpoint of demonstrating an improvement in eczema area or severity from baseline at Week 12, as well as all secondary endpoints.

The latest miss followed another failure for EVO756 in June, when the therapy was unable to improve patients’ urticaria at any of the doses tested. That result led analysts to lower their expectations for EVO756 to prove its worth in the AD study. Despite these tempered hopes for the study, investors still punished Evommune with an 18% drop in its stock price in the wake of the news.

The company’s shares sat at $10.70 overnight, down from a Tuesday closing price of $13.08. Evommune said it won’t pursue EVO756 for AD, but the biotech isn’t ready to give up on the drug entirely. The biotech confirmed yesterday that it will persevere with a phase 2b study of the asset to prevent migraine.

“We are disappointed that this trial of EVO756 did not meet its primary endpoint, particularly given the need for new treatment options for patients suffering from AD,” Evommune’s Chief Medical Officer Eugene Bauer said in the Sept. 9 release. “EVO756 was generally well tolerated with a safety profile consistent with prior studies, supporting its continued evaluation in migraine prophylaxis,” Bauer noted.

In a note to investors last month, William Blair analysts described the migraine opportunity for EVO756 as “higher risk … but definitely intriguing and with significant upside.” EVO756 may remain in Evommune’s pipeline for now, but the company is turning its attention to EVO301, an IL-18BP fusion protein that scored a win in a phase 2 eczema study back in February. While Evommune CEO Luis Peña admitted that the EVO756 study “did not deliver the outcome we and the AD community were hoping for,” he pointed out that EVO301 is on track to enter a phase 2b study in mid-2027. “With a strong balance sheet supporting operations into 2029, we remain focused on advancing a portfolio of programs with the stated goal of broadly addressing chronic inflammatory diseases,” Peña added.

Evommune atopic dermatitis failed trials migraine Clinical Data Biotech