Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41136221›Full record

Trial reportLupus science & medicine2025

Enpatoran, a first-in-class, selective, orally administered toll-like receptor 7/8 inhibitor, in systemic and cutaneous lupus erythematosus: results from a randomised, placebo-controlled phase Ib study.

Torsten Witte, Ruth Fernandez-Ruiz, Nadezda Abramova, Dominika Weinelt, Flavie Moreau, Lena Klopp-Schulze, Jamie Shaw, Deborah Denis, Joerg Wenzel

Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial, Phase IRandomized Controlled TrialMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Trial report in Lupus science & medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04647708 (A Phase Ib, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo Controlled Study to Evaluate the Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Multiple Ascending Doses of M5049 Administered Orally in SLE and CLE Participants Treated With Standard of Care), which is not on this map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT04647708 phase1completednot on this map

A Phase Ib, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo Controlled Study to Evaluate the Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Multiple Ascending Doses of M5049 Administered Orally in SLE and CLE Participants Treated With Standard of Care

TypeinterventionalSponsorMerck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, GermanyRan2020 to 2023Enrolled25ConditionsSystemic Lupus Erythematosus, Cutaneous Lupus ErythematosusArmsM5049, Placebo
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. The SLC15A4-TASL complex is essential for lupus development in mice.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Torsten WitteDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Hannover Medical School, Hanover, Germany witte.torsten@mh-hannover.de.
Ruth Fernandez-RuizEMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc. (an affiliate of Merck KGaA), Billerica, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0759-5222
Nadezda AbramovaMerck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
Dominika WeineltMerck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
Flavie MoreauEMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc. (an affiliate of Merck KGaA), Billerica, Massachusetts, USA.
Lena Klopp-SchulzeMerck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
Jamie ShawEMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc. (an affiliate of Merck KGaA), Billerica, Massachusetts, USA.
Deborah DenisEMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc. (an affiliate of Merck KGaA), Billerica, Massachusetts, USA.
Joerg WenzelDepartment of Dermatology and Allergy, University Hospital of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo evaluate multiple-ascending doses of enpatoran, a selective toll-like receptor 7/8 (TLR7/8) inhibitor with the potential to modulate processes central to lupus pathophysiology, in patients with systemic and cutaneous lupus erythematosus (SLE/CLE).

methodsIn this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase Ib trial (NCT04647708), patients with active SLE/CLE were randomised 3:1 to enpatoran or placebo across four cohorts. Treatment duration was 12/24 weeks. All patients had a 2-week safety follow-up. The primary endpoint was safety and tolerability. Secondary endpoints included pharmacokinetics (PK) and clinical response. Change in lupus biomarkers, including interferon gene signature (IFN-GS), was an exploratory endpoint.

results25 patients received placebo (n=6) or enpatoran (n=19); 80% were female, all were white, and the median age was 44 years. By week 12, treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were reported by 42% of patients across the four enpatoran dose groups and 33% of placebo-treated patients. Enpatoran remained well tolerated to week 24. Most TEAEs (96%) were mild or moderate in severity. There were no serious TEAEs. Enpatoran PK was dose proportional, with peak concentration reached 1-2 hours postdose and an apparent half-life of 6-10 hours across doses. Greater reductions in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000, Physician's Global Assessment and 28-joint count were observed at week 24 with enpatoran versus placebo. Rapid, dose-dependent and reversible suppression of IFN-GS was observed.

conclusionsEnpatoran was well tolerated and demonstrated favourable safety and PK profiles in patients with SLE and CLE. Although preliminary, the SLE disease activity and biomarker results support the therapeutic targeting of TLR7/8 for lupus. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04647708.

Indexed as

Lupus Erythematosus, CutaneousLupus Erythematosus, SystemicToll-Like Receptor 7Toll-Like Receptor 8Administration, OralAdultBiomarkersDose-Response Relationship, DrugDouble-Blind MethodFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedTreatment OutcomeYoung AdultBiomarkersTLR7 protein, humanTLR8 protein, humanToll-Like Receptor 7Toll-Like Receptor 8Clinical TrialLupus Erythematosus, SystemicPharmacokinetics

Identifiers

PMID41136221
PMCPMC12557744

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.