IL-6 Inhibitors & Biosimilars
2 drugsAbout IL-6
Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a cytokine involved in inflammation, immune responses, and hematopoiesis. As a signaling protein, it mediates diverse biological effects by binding to its receptor. Its role in immune dysregulation makes it a compelling drug target.
Human genetics provide strong validation for IL-6 as a therapeutic target (max score 0.90). Variants are linked to asthma (0.90), aortic stenosis (0.86), and aortic valve calcification (0.80). Strong eQTL/pQTL signals further support its role in disease.
IL-6 is currently targeted by one FDA-approved antibody drug, SYLVANT, marketed by RECORDATI RARE DISEASES, INC. Approved in 2014, SYLVANT is indicated for a single 'Other' therapeutic area.
IL-6 Genetic Evidence Strong
IL-6 has strong genetic support with a maximum score of 0.90 across 28 diseases.
Strong genetic support suggests a higher likelihood of clinical trial success for IL-6 targeted therapies.
Evidence Across Diseases
20 totalGWAS and other genetic studies link IL6 to 28 diseases.
🔗 Colocalization Evidence 20 strong
max H4: 1.00eQTL/pQTL signals for IL6 colocalize with these GWAS traits, providing causal evidence that gene expression changes drive disease risk.
Understanding these scores
Association Score (0-1): Combines all evidence types (genetic, literature, drugs, animal models). Higher = more evidence linking target to disease. This is a ranking heuristic, not a confidence score.
L2G Score: Open Targets uses a machine learning model (Locus-to-Gene) to predict which gene is causal at each GWAS locus. L2G=0.5 means ~50% probability of being the causal gene. Only associations with L2G > 0.05 are included.
Odds Ratio (OR): From gene burden studies (UK Biobank, AstraZeneca PheWAS). Measures how loss-of-function variants affect disease risk. OR<1 = protective (inhibiting target may help), OR>1 = risk (losing function causes disease).
Beta (β): Effect size for continuous traits. β<0 = protective, β>0 = risk.
Clinical Translation (~1.8x): Based on Nelson et al. 2015: drug targets with genetic evidence have ~2x higher success rates in clinical trials. We estimate: Strong support (score ≥0.7) → ~1.8x, Moderate (0.3-0.7) → ~1.3x, Weak → baseline.
Colocalization (H4): Tests whether a GWAS signal and an eQTL/pQTL signal share the same causal variant. H4 is the posterior probability that both traits are associated AND share a causal variant. H4 > 0.8 = strong evidence that gene expression/protein levels drive disease risk. This links genetic variation → gene expression → disease, supporting the target-disease connection.
Top IL-6 Drugs
Only one company, RECORDATI RARE DISEASES, INC., currently has an approved drug targeting IL-6.
The limited number of players indicates a potential opportunity for new entrants in the IL-6 therapeutic market.
IL-6 Drug Modality Landscape
Modalities
Routes of Administration
Only one approved drug targets IL-6, using antibody modality.
Exploring alternative modalities like small molecules could provide a competitive advantage in the IL-6 space.
IL-6 Clinical Trials 27 trials
Phase 1-4 trials started in 2008 or later that test an FDA-approved drug acting on IL-6. Source: ClinicalTrials.gov. How we count
Completion by Phase
| Phase | Total | Completed | Stopped | Active | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 80% |
| Phase 2 | 16 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 67% |
| Phase 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33% |
Top Sponsors
By Modality
Top Conditions
Top Drugs
IL-6 Drug Approval Timeline (2014 - 2014)
The first and only drug targeting IL-6, SYLVANT, was approved in 2014.
The lack of recent approvals suggests a potential for innovation and new therapeutic approaches targeting IL-6.
Pro Intelligence Preview
Deep insights for drug target analysis
Competitive Landscape
- • 2 companies competing
- • Market share by company
Full Drug Portfolio
- • All 2 approved drugs
- • Approval dates & indications
Genetic Validation
- • Full genetic evidence table
- • Effect sizes & directions
Approval Timeline
- • Full 2-drug timeline
- • First-of-modality markers
Clinical Trials Analysis
- • Sponsors: 18 (5 companies)
- • Completion rates by condition
Full summary • All drugs • Genetic evidence • Trials • Timeline
How We Count Trials
- Trials: phase 1-4 interventional trials on ClinicalTrials.gov that started in 2008 or later and test an FDA-approved drug acting on IL-6. A trial counts if an approved drug acting on IL-6 is in any arm, including as a comparator, and a trial that tests two such drugs counts once. Trials that test only unapproved drugs are not counted. A trial listed as phase 1/2 counts as phase 1, and phase 2/3 as phase 2.
- Active: recruiting, not yet recruiting, enrolling by invitation, or active and no longer recruiting.
- Completion rate: of the trials that have ended, the share marked Completed rather than Terminated or Withdrawn. Completed means the trial ended as planned; it does not mean the drug worked. Suspended trials are not counted as ended.
- Stopped: terminated or withdrawn. Trials stop for many reasons, including slow enrolment and business decisions, not only safety or efficacy.
- Sponsors: the lead sponsor of each trial. Companies are the sponsors ClinicalTrials.gov classes as industry; the rest are universities, hospitals, cooperative groups, government bodies and individuals.