Kymera Therapeutics (NASDAQ:KYMR) executives said the company remains on track with key clinical timelines for its lead degrader programs, including KT-621 in atopic dermatitis and asthma, while preparing to share additional data from its IRF5 program later this year.
Speaking at an RBC Capital Markets event hosted by senior biotech analyst Brian Abrahams, Kymera Chief Medical Officer Jared Gollob and Chief Financial Officer Bruce Jacobs discussed enrollment, safety observations and future development plans across the company’s immunology pipeline.
KT-621 Enrollment Tracking to Guidance
Jacobs said Kymera is not providing “blow-by-blow updates” on the ongoing Phase IIb atopic dermatitis study of KT-621, but said the company is tracking against its stated expectations. Kymera has guided to completing enrollment this year and reporting data by mid-2027.
Gollob said the company is closely overseeing the contract research organization and individual clinical sites, including real-time review of screening data to confirm patient eligibility and baseline characteristics. He said Kymera has been “very encouraged” by how enrollment and site activation are tracking against internal metrics.
The executives pointed to the company’s prior Phase Ib data and a late-breaking presentation at the American Academy of Dermatology meeting as important in building awareness among clinicians, investigators and patients. Gollob said feedback from the AAD presentation was “very positive” and “very enthusiastic,” citing interest in the drug’s safety profile and its potential to resemble the effect of Dupixent through an oral therapy.
Jacobs said Kymera sees a large opportunity in type 2 inflammatory disease, noting that the moderate-to-severe type 2 population includes roughly 50 million patients, while only about 2 million are treated with advanced systemic therapies. He said the potential appeal of an oral molecule could be significant if KT-621 delivers the profile the company is seeking.
Safety Profile Remains a Key Focus
Gollob said Kymera’s confidence in KT-621 is supported by human genetics, preclinical toxicology and early clinical safety data. He said the company has completed six-month toxicology studies in rats and nine-month studies in monkeys at high exposures that produced systemic complete degradation, with “no adverse findings” seen in those studies.
He also said safety in a Phase I healthy volunteer study involving more than 120 to 130 subjects was indistinguishable from placebo after 14 days of dosing, and that no safety findings were observed in the Phase Ib study after four weeks of dosing across two higher dose levels.
Gollob said Kymera expects KT-621’s safety profile to be comparable to dupilumab because the drug targets the IL-4 and IL-13 pathway through STAT6. The ongoing Phase IIb study includes a 52-week open-label extension following the initial 16-week placebo-controlled period, which he said should provide additional long-term safety and efficacy information ahead of potential Phase III development.
Asked about theoretical risks tied to small molecules and heterobifunctional degraders, Gollob said KT-621’s broad biodistribution could be an advantage because it may reach relevant tissues and cell types. He also cited the drug’s potency and selectivity, describing KT-621 as a “picomolar degrader” that allows for low clinical doses.
On teratogenicity, Gollob said Kymera has conducted embryo-fetal development studies in multiple species, including rabbits and monkeys, and saw no evidence of teratogenicity. He also referenced prior preclinical work from Kymera’s IRAK4 program and said the FDA has not provided feedback raising that concern across the company’s programs.
Asthma Study and Future Indications
Jacobs said the Phase IIb asthma study began later than the atopic dermatitis trial, with first site activation and patient enrollment beginning in January. He said the asthma study is larger, at roughly 260 patients versus 200 for atopic dermatitis, and is expected to complete enrollment next year with data before the end of 2027.
Kymera views atopic dermatitis and asthma as “sentinel indications” for KT-621, Jacobs said. He said the company is also evaluating broader development plans in dermatology and respiratory diseases, including COPD, eosinophilic esophagitis and chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.
IRF5 Program Data Expected Later This Year
Kymera also discussed KT-579, its IRF5 degrader. Gollob said the company’s internal goals include achieving at least 90% degradation of IRF5 in blood and 50% to 80% inhibition of Toll-like receptor signaling in ex vivo assays.
Gollob said preclinical work suggests complete IRF5 knockdown may not be required for activity. He noted that mice with either complete loss or heterozygous loss of IRF5 have shown protection in disease models, and Kymera’s own lupus models have shown strong activity associated with 80% to 85% IRF5 knockdown.
Jacobs said Kymera has begun healthy volunteer dosing in a conventional single-ascending-dose and multiple-ascending-dose study and is now in the MAD portion. The company expects to share data in the second half of this year and to provide more detail on clinical development plans at that time. He said lupus is the most likely initial indication, while recent preclinical IBD data also suggests potential in that area.
Sanofi to Advance IRAK4 Degrader
Jacobs said Kymera’s IRAK4 degrader program is now with Sanofi, which is expected to start a Phase I study this year. He said that would generate a milestone payment for Kymera, while Sanofi will manage the program going forward with no financial or operational responsibilities for Kymera.
Jacobs said KT-485 was selected over KT-474 because it was more potent, had broader tissue distribution and addressed the modest QTc impact seen with KT-474. He added that Kymera retains potential milestones, royalties and the right to opt into a 50/50 U.S. co-commercialization arrangement.
Looking beyond the disclosed programs, Jacobs said Kymera has additional undisclosed targets and programs that the company believes have similar potential and competitive positioning. He said Kymera expects to share more on its pipeline as the year progresses and beyond.
About Kymera Therapeutics (NASDAQ:KYMR)
Kymera Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Watertown, Massachusetts, focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of small‐molecule therapies that harness the body's natural protein homeostasis pathways. Since its founding in 2016, Kymera has pursued a targeted protein degradation platform designed to identify and selectively eliminate disease‐causing proteins. The company's proprietary Pegasus™ platform integrates insights from ubiquitin biology and medicinal chemistry to advance novel degrader candidates across a range of therapeutic areas.
The company's pipeline emphasizes immunology and oncology.
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