Acelyrin announces layoffs, strategy shift after late-stage trial results for anti-inflammatory drug

Acelyrin, a California biotech focused on immunology and inflammatory disease, announced Tuesday that its experimental drug for a common skin disorder succeeded in a late-stage clinical trial.

That’s the kind of news that’s usually accompanied by plans to apply for regulatory approval to market a new therapy. But the results didn’t show a clear edge over competing products on the market or in development. And Acelyrin said it is halting further investment in the program amid a broader pivot in the company’s priorities that includes sizable layoffs.

The company announced in a press release that it doesn’t plan to invest further in developing izokibep, an injectable anti-inflammatory treatment, as a treatment for the skin disorder hidradenitis suppurativa, or for psoriatic arthritis. Instead, the biotech plans to focus on an experimental antibody treatment for thyroid eye disease.

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