ADlong: Phase 3b Findings on Lebrikizumab in Atopic Dermatitis, With Stephan Weidinger, MD, PhD

New long-term data presented at 2026 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting highlight the sustained efficacy findings observed with lebrikizumab therapy among those with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, providing clinicians further information into disease control over extended treatment periods.1,2

These results from the phase 3b ADlong analysis indicate nearly all of those treated with the medication maintained meaningful improvements in their level of skin clearance, with 94% attaining EASI-75 responses over as long as 4 years of continuous therapy. These results and others were discussed in an interview with Stephan Weidinger, MD, MPH, professor and chair of Dermatology at the Christian-Albrechts-University and director of the Department of Dermatology and Allergy at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein.

Weidinger’s responses to questions in this new interview with the HCPLive editorial team are included here:

HCPLive: Can you walk us through the design of the Phase 3b ADlong study and how it builds on earlier lebrikizumab trials in atopic dermatitis?

Weidinger: The ADlong study is an open-label extension study designed to assess the long-term safety and efficacy of lebrikizumab 250 mg every four weeks in patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis over a total treatment period of up to 108 weeks. It includes adult and adolescent patients from Germany and Poland who had previously participated in the ADjoin extension study after completing one of the earlier lebrikizumab trials, including ADvocate 1 and 2, ADore, or ADhere. In this interim analysis, all included patients received lebrikizumab 250 mg every four weeks, irrespective of the dosing schedule they had previously received in ADjoin.

What makes ADlong particularly relevant is that it extends the observation period beyond the already substantial long-term dataset from the earlier development program. Since atopic dermatitis is a chronic, relapsing disease, long-term data are essential, not only to assess maintained efficacy but also to understand whether disease control can be sustained with continued treatment under a practical maintenance regimen.

HCPLive: What would you highlight as the most important findings from this interim analysis, particularly with regard to sustained efficacy over four years?

Weidinger: What stands out to me most is that lebrikizumab seems to provide durable disease control over a very long period of time, with sustained improvements in both skin signs and itch. In atopic dermatitis, that is really what matters in the long-run: not just whether a treatment works well at the beginning, but whether patients can maintain that benefit over time.

At the same time, studies like this are especially important because they also provide longer-term information on safety and tolerability, which is critical in a chronic disease that often requires ongoing treatment. Of course, as with any open-label extension study, the results need to be interpreted in the context of a selected patient population, but overall, the findings are reassuring and clinically encouraging.

HCPLive: The data show high rates of EASI-75, EASI-90, and meaningful itch reduction. How should clinicians interpret these outcomes in terms of long-term disease control?

Weidinger: Clinicians should interpret these findings as encouraging evidence that long-term treatment with lebrikizumab may allow many patients to maintain good disease control over time. This includes not only improvement in objective skin signs, but also sustained reduction of itch, which is one of the most burdensome symptoms for patients.

In daily practice, long-term disease control means more than achieving a response at a single time point. It means maintaining symptom relief, reducing fluctuations in disease activity, and ideally enabling patients to live with less treatment burden and less need for rescue therapy. From that perspective, these data are clinically relevant.

HCPLive: From a safety standpoint, what does the absence of new safety signals over this extended period tell us about the long-term use of lebrikizumab?

Weidinger: From a safety perspective, the absence of new safety signals over this extended period is reassuring and supports what we have seen in the earlier lebrikizumab studies. That is particularly important in atopic dermatitis, because we are dealing with a chronic disease in which treatment often needs to be continued over a long time.

Of course, long-term open-label data always needs to be interpreted in the appropriate context, but overall, these results support the impression of a consistent and favorable tolerability profile. For clinicians, that kind of longer-term safety experience is highly relevant when considering a treatment for routine practice.

HCPLive: Looking ahead, how do these long-term data influence where lebrikizumab may fit into the treatment landscape, and what additional research or regulatory steps should clinicians be watching for?

Weidinger: These long-term data further support lebrikizumab as a targeted treatment option for patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis who need sustained disease control over extended periods of time. Longer-term efficacy and safety data like these are especially valuable, because they help clinicians understand not only how well a treatment works initially, but also how durable and practical it may be over time.

Looking ahead, it will be important to see more data from registries and routine clinical practice, including evidence in broader patient populations and younger age groups. Clinicians will also be watching closely how lebrikizumab continues to be positioned within treatment sequencing and whether future regulatory developments expand its role in everyday care.

For additional information on topics like these, view the latest data covered by HCPLive from AAD 2026.

References

1. Lilly's EBGLYSS (lebrikizumab-lbkz) delivered up to four years of durable disease control for patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis. Eli Lilly. March 27, 2026. Accessed April 13, 2026. https://investor.lilly.com/news-releases/news-release-details/lillys-ebglyss-lebrikizumab-lbkz-delivered-four-years-durable.

2. Smith T. Lebrikizumab for Atopic Dermatitis Leads to 4 Years of Clearance, Itch Reduction. HCPLive. April 2, 2026. Accessed April 13, 2026. https://www.hcplive.com/view/lebrikizumab-atopic-dermatitis-leads-4-years-clearance-itch-reduction.