Skip to content

A Study of Enpatoran in Participants With Cutaneous Manifestations of Lupus With or Without Systemic Disease (ELOWEN-2)

A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Blind,Placebo-Controlled Parallel Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Enpatoran in Participants With Active Cutaneous Manifestations of Lupus Erythematosus With or Without Systemic Disease Receiving Standard of Care (ELOWEN-2)

Status
Not yet recruiting
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07470970
Enrollment
202
Registered
2026-03-13
Start date
2026-03-27
Completion date
2029-05-25
Last updated
2026-03-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus, Systematic Lupus Erythematosus

Keywords

Toll-like Receptor 7, Toll-like Receptor 8, Adults, SLE, CLE, Lupus, Discoid lupus erythematosus, Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus, M5049, Enpatoran, Cutaneous manifestations, Lupus erythematosus, Acute cutaneous lupus erythematosus, Systemic lupus erythematosus, Interferon gene signature

Brief summary

The purpose of this global, multicenter, Phase 3 study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of enpatoran over 24 weeks in participants with active cutaneous manifestations of lupus erythematosus with or without systemic disease. Study details include: Study Duration: Up to 35 weeks. Treatment Duration: 24 weeks. Visit Frequency: every 4 weeks, with the exception of the Week 2 televisit. Study Intervention Name: Enpatoran, Placebo. Intervention Form: Film-coated tablet.

Interventions

Participants will receive a dose of Enpatoran orally twice daily from Day 1 to Day 168.

DRUGPlacebo

Participants will receive a single oral dose of a placebo matching Enpatoran tablet twice daily from Day 1 to Day 168.

DRUGStandard of care (SoC)

Participants will receive Investigator-recommended SoC.

Sponsors

EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc.
Lead SponsorINDUSTRY
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
CollaboratorINDUSTRY

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 75 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Vaccinations are up to date according to local guidelines/recommendations. Recombinant zoster vaccination is encouraged but not mandatory. * Participants with diagnosis of Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (DLE) and/or Subacute Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (SCLE) documented in medical history, with or without Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). * Participants with active Acute Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (ACLE) as sole cutaneous manifestations is allowed in the presence of SLE and should be present for at least 6 weeks prior to the Screening visit. * Participants with diagnosis of SLE fulfilling the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR)/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2019 classification criteria, must have active DLE and/or SCLE and/or ACLE. For participants with SLE: * Participants with diagnosis of SLE and fulfill EULAR/ACR 2019 classification criteria. * Participants with disease duration (cutaneous disease and, where applicable, SLE) of \>= 6 months from time of diagnosis to Screening. * Participants with CLASI-A score \>= 8 at Screening and Day 1 visits. * Other protocol-defined inclusion criteria may apply.

Exclusion criteria

* Participants with primary diagnosis of autoimmune rheumatic disease (e.g., systemic sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis) other than Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (CLE) and SLE. * Participants with any condition including dermatological diseases other than cutaneous manifestations of lupus (e.g. psoriasis), any uncontrolled disease (e.g. asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial lung disease, bronchiectasis, pulmonary arterial hypertension), or life-threatening manifestations of lupus (e.g. active systemic vasculitis) that in Investigator's or Sponsor/designee's opinion constitutes inappropriate risk or contraindication for participation. * Participants with drug-induced lupus (SLE or CLE). * Participants with active lupus nephritis on induction therapy, or induction therapy completed within 3 months of the Screening visit (stable maintenance therapy with either mycophenolate azathioprine or an oral calcineurin inhibitor is allowed). * Participants with Urine Protein-to-Creatinine Ratio (UPCR) greater than (\>) 339 milligrams per millimole (mg/mmol), and/or estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) less than 40 milliliters per minute per 1.73 square meters of body surface area (mL/min/1.73 m\^2), as calculated by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation. * Participants with any active signs, symptoms, or diagnoses considered related to Central Nervous System (CNS) lupus within the past 3 months, or any history of uncontrolled seizures. * Other protocol-defined

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
Percentage of Participants With Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index (CLASI) 70 Response, Defined as >= 70 Percent (%) Decrease in CLASI-A Score From BaselineAt Week 24

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Percentage of Participants With British Isles Lupus Assessment Group Based Composite Lupus Assessment (BICLA) ResponseAt Week 24A BICLA response is defined as British Isles Lupus Assessment Group Disease Activity Index 2004 (BILAG 2004) -improvement without worsening (A scores at Baseline improved to B, C or D; B scores improved to C or D; no new A scores and less than or equal to \[\<=\] 1 new B.); Here, score A ("Active"): Severely active disease; score B ("Beware"): Moderately active disease; score C ("Contentment"): Mild stable disease; score D ("Discount"): Inactive now but previously active; -no worsening in disease activity (no new BILAG 2004 A scores and \<= 1 new B score); -no worsening of total Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) score from Baseline; -no significant deterioration (less than \[\<\] 10% worsening) in visual analog Physician's Global Assessment (PGA) and -no treatment failure i.e. protocol-prohibited medications as determined by Endpoint Adjudication Committee (EAC) or premature discontinuation from study treatment).
Number of Participants With Treatment Emergent adverse events (TEAEs), Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), and Adverse Events of Special Interest (AESI)From Day 1 to Week 24
Number of Participants With Abnormal (greater than and equal to [>=] Grade 3) laboratory parametersFrom Day 1 to Week 24
Percentage of Participants With CLASI-A less than and equal to (<=) 3 at Week 24At Week 24CLASI-A assesses the signs of CLE disease activity including erythema, scale, and hypertrophy, active alopecia, and mucous membrane disease, Scores range from 0 to 70 points for CLASI-A score. Mild, moderate, and severe disease corresponds with CLASI activity score ranges of 0 to 9, 10 to 20, and 21 to 70, respectively. Higher scores indicate more disease activity.
Percentage of Participants With CLASI-50 Response, Defined as >=50% Decrease in CLASI-A Score From BaselineAt Weeks 4 and 24
Percentage of Participants With Clinically Meaningful Corticosteroid (CS) ReductionDay 1 up to Week 12 and thereafter upto Week 24Clinically meaningful CS reduction, is defined as reduction of daily prednisone-equivalent dose from \>= 10 milligrams (mg) at Day 1 to \<= 5 mg by the Week 12 visit and sustained through Week 24.
Change from Baseline in Worst Itch Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) Score at Week 24Baseline and at Week 24The Worst Itch NRS is a self-rated single item scale designed for assessing worst itch in the past 7 days. The scale utilizes 11-point NRS, scored from of 0 (no itch) to 10 (worst imaginable itch).
Change from Baseline in CLASI-A Erythema at Week 24Baseline and at Week 24CLASI-A assesses the signs of CLE disease activity including erythema, scale, and hypertrophy, active alopecia, and mucous membrane disease, Scores range from 0 to 70 points for CLASI-A score. Mild, moderate, and severe disease corresponds with CLASI activity score ranges of 0 to 9, 10 to 20, and 21 to 70, respectively. Higher scores indicate more disease activity.
Change from Baseline in CLASI-A Scale/Hypertrophy at Week 24Baseline and at Week 24CLASI-A assesses the signs of CLE disease activity including erythema, scale, and hypertrophy, active alopecia, and mucous membrane disease, Scores range from 0 to 70 points for CLASI-A score. Mild, moderate, and severe disease corresponds with CLASI activity score ranges of 0 to 9, 10 to 20, and 21 to 70, respectively. Higher scores indicate more disease activity.
Change from Baseline in CLASI-A Alopecia at Week 24Baseline and at Week 24CLASI-A assesses the signs of CLE disease activity including erythema, scale, and hypertrophy, active alopecia, and mucous membrane disease, Scores range from 0 to 70 points for CLASI-A score. Mild, moderate, and severe disease corresponds with CLASI activity score ranges of 0 to 9, 10 to 20, and 21 to 70, respectively. Higher scores indicate more disease activity.
Percentage of Participants With a Cutaneous Lupus Activity Investigator's Global Assessment-Revised (CLA-IGA-R OMC) Score of 0 or 1 and at Least a 1-Point Reduction at Week 24At Week 24The CLA-IGA-R is assessed by the investigator, who assigns rater to assign scores to 3 individual domains (e.g. erythema, other morphologic characteristics - OMC \[scales, edema)/infiltration and secondary change (vesicles, erosion, crusting)\] and follicular activity). Clinicians assess the severity of the first 2 domains of erythema and OMC from 0 (Clear) to 4 (Severe); they assess the severity of the third domain of follicular activity as "absent" or "present." Higher scores indicate more disease activity.
Percentage of Participants with BILAG Moderate to Severe Flaresup to Week 24
Time to First Moderate/Severe BILAG FlareDay 1 through Week 24Median time to first moderate or severe BILAG Flare will be calculated.
Percentage of Participants with Corticosteroid (CS) reduction of Daily Prednisone Equivalent DoseDay 1 up to 24 weeksCS reduction is defined as of daily prednisone-equivalent dose from \>= 10 milligrams per day (mg/day) at Day 1 to \<= 5 mg/day and sustained for 12 weeks

Countries

Germany

Contacts

CONTACTUS Medical Information
eMediUSA@emdserono.com888-275-7376
CONTACTCommunication Center
service@emdgroup.com+49 6151 72 5200
STUDY_DIRECTORMedical Responsible

Merck Healthcare KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, an affiliate of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 14, 2026