Lilly's EBGLYSS Clears Hand and Foot Eczema in ADtouch Trial

Eli Lilly said EBGLYSS (lebrikizumab-lbkz) met both primary and secondary endpoints in the Phase 3b ADtouch study, showing significant improvements in skin clearance, itch and pain in adults and adolescents with moderate-to-severe hand and foot atopic dermatitis.

Eli Lilly (NYSE: LLY) said its interleukin-targeting skin drug EBGLYSS (lebrikizumab-lbkz) met both the primary and secondary endpoints of the Phase 3b ADtouch study, delivering statistically significant improvements in skin clearance, itch and pain among adults and adolescents living with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis of the hands and feet.

Atopic dermatitis — commonly called eczema — is a chronic inflammatory skin condition. When it settles on the palms and soles, it becomes a distinct clinical problem: the skin there is thick, topical creams penetrate poorly, and the affected areas are exactly the ones patients use to work, type, cook and walk. Cracking and pain, not just itching, drive the disability. That is the population ADtouch was designed around, and it is a population where existing therapy has often disappointed.

Why a hand-and-foot readout matters more than its patient count

Dermatology trials in atopic dermatitis are usually run on total body surface area, with scores that average severity across the whole patient. A localised study is narrower but commercially sharper. Hand and foot disease is one of the most frequently cited reasons that patients and prescribers describe systemic eczema treatment as inadequate, and a label or body of evidence that speaks directly to it gives a sales force something concrete to lead with in a crowded category.

The endpoints Lilly reported hit — clearance, itch and pain — map onto what dermatologists actually measure in the clinic and onto what patients report as the reason they switch drugs. Lilly did not, in the disclosure summarised by Nasdaq Markets, put effect sizes on those improvements; the detailed data will land at a medical meeting or in a peer-reviewed journal, and that is where the comparison with incumbent therapy will really be argued.

The competitive frame: a second entrant looking for white space

EBGLYSS entered a biologic eczema market that was already anchored by an established first mover with years of prescriber familiarity, broad payer coverage and a wide set of approved indications beyond skin. In that setup, the arithmetic for a second entrant is unforgiving unless it can point at a subgroup where it does something the incumbent has not demonstrated as clearly, or where the incumbent's own evidence is thinner.

Hand and foot disease is a credible piece of that white space. It is severe, it is visible to the patient every hour of the day, and it is the sort of complaint that gets a specialist to try something new rather than escalate an existing regimen. A dedicated Phase 3b programme is, in that sense, less about expanding the addressable patient pool than about giving dermatologists a reason to reach for EBGLYSS first in a defined situation — and giving payers a rationale to allow it.

Two caveats are worth keeping in front of the optimism. First, a positive readout is not a label change; regulators decide what claims can be made and on what evidence. Second, without disclosed magnitudes, "met primary and secondary endpoints" tells you the trial worked, not how much better the drug is than the alternatives a dermatologist already stocks.

Where the shares sat going into the news

Lilly closed at 1,184.63 in the most recent session, essentially unchanged at -0.01% from the prior close of 1,184.78, as of 20:00 GMT on 29 September 2026. The stock traded in a band of 1,168.47 to 1,192.94 during that session — a roughly 24-point spread, illustrative of the day's range rather than any reaction to the trial data, which was disclosed afterwards.

The broader tape that day was mixed and quiet. The S&P 500 proxy SPY closed at $764.20, down 0.18%. The Dow proxy DIA finished at $512.88, off 0.22%. The Nasdaq 100 proxy QQQ was the outlier on the upside at $737.93, up 0.19%. In other words, nothing in the index backdrop was pushing large-cap pharma around; Lilly's flat close was its own.

It is also worth being realistic about scale. Lilly's market narrative in recent years has been dominated by its metabolic franchise, and a mid-size dermatology asset — however well it performs in a hard-to-treat subgroup — is unlikely to move a company of this size on announcement day. The value of ADtouch is cumulative: it is one of the inputs that determines whether EBGLYSS grows into a durable multi-year contributor or stays a secondary product in a category owned by someone else.

What determines whether this converts into revenue

Three things will decide the commercial payoff, and none of them is the press release.

• The full dataset. Effect sizes on clearance, itch and pain scores, the speed of onset, and how the placebo arm behaved. Hand and foot disease trials can produce large placebo responses because emollient use and study-driven adherence improve outcomes on their own.
• Regulatory language. Whether health authorities in the US and Europe permit hand-and-foot-specific messaging, or whether the data simply supports promotional discussion within the existing atopic dermatitis indication.
• Payer positioning. Biologic eczema therapy is heavily managed. Step edits that force the incumbent first are the single biggest brake on a second entrant's uptake, and a differentiated subgroup claim is one of the few levers that loosens them.

Adolescents being included in the study population is a further detail worth tracking. Pediatric and adolescent coverage extends the treatment duration per patient — eczema is chronic and often lifelong — and younger patients with hand involvement face school and early-career consequences that support the clinical argument for systemic therapy.

The read-across for dermatology investors

The wider signal here is about how mature biologic categories get contested. The first wave of immunology drugs won on breadth: treat the whole disease, in the most patients, across the most indications. The second wave increasingly wins on specificity — proving superiority or at least distinct benefit in the pockets the broad label handled least well. ADtouch is a textbook example of that strategy, and if it works, expect more competitors in crowded immunology markets to fund narrow, symptom-specific Phase 3b programmes rather than chase another head-to-head against the leader.

For now, the practical takeaway is modest and real: a trial designed around the hardest part of a common disease came back positive. The numbers that will matter to prescribers, payers and the revenue line are still to come.

Frequently asked questions

What did the ADtouch study find?

Eli Lilly said the Phase 3b ADtouch study of EBGLYSS (lebrikizumab-lbkz) met both its primary and secondary endpoints, with statistically significant improvements in skin clearance, itch and pain. The trial enrolled adults and adolescents with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis affecting the hands and feet. Lilly did not disclose the magnitude of the improvements in its initial announcement.

What is EBGLYSS used for?

EBGLYSS, the brand name for lebrikizumab-lbkz, is a biologic therapy for atopic dermatitis, the chronic inflammatory skin condition commonly known as eczema. It is administered by injection and works by targeting part of the immune signalling pathway that drives the inflammation, rather than by treating the skin surface topically.

Why is hand and foot eczema treated as a separate problem?

The skin on the palms and soles is thicker, so topical creams penetrate poorly and often fail. The symptoms also differ: cracking and pain dominate alongside itching, and because patients use their hands and feet constantly, the functional impact on work and daily life is disproportionate to the body surface area involved.

Where did Lilly stock close?

Eli Lilly closed at 1,184.63, down 0.01% from its prior close of 1,184.78, as of 20:00 GMT on 29 September 2026. The session range was 1,168.47 to 1,192.94. The broader market was mixed that day, with the S&P 500 proxy SPY down 0.18% at $764.20 and the Nasdaq 100 proxy QQQ up 0.19% at $737.93.

Does a positive Phase 3b result mean a label change?

No. Meeting trial endpoints is a scientific result, not a regulatory one. Health authorities in the United States, Europe and elsewhere decide separately whether the evidence supports adding specific claims to a product's approved labelling. Companies typically submit the full dataset, and the review process can take many months after data are announced.

What should investors watch next?

Three things: publication of the full dataset with effect sizes and placebo-arm performance, any regulatory decision on whether hand-and-foot-specific claims can be made, and payer behaviour — specifically whether insurers relax step-therapy requirements that currently push prescribers toward the established first-to-market biologic before allowing EBGLYSS.

Sources

• Lilly's EBGLYSS Shows Rapid Skin Clearance And Symptom Relief In Phase 3b Study — Nasdaq Markets

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