Ligelizumab

Ligelizumab is a humanized IgG1k monoclonal antibody targeted against immunoglobulin E (IgE). Similar in mechanism to omalizumab, another IgE-directed monoclonal antibody, ligelizumab has a distinct binding epitope as compared to its peer (with a small degree of overlap) which appears to confer a greater affinity for free serum IgE and an altered sensitivity to IgE conformation.

Ligelizumab is currently under investigation for the treatment of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), an autoimmune-driven inflammatory condition. While the precise pathogenesis of CSU is not entirely clear, autoantibodies against IgE receptors, and sometimes against IgE itself, are thought to exist in 30-40% of patients, and the efficacy anti-IgE antibody therapy in the treatment of CSU has been previously established with omalizumab. Initial trials of ligelizumab suggest a greater efficacy over its predecessor for the treatment of CSU.