IL2RA Inhibitors
2 drugsAbout IL2RA
Interleukin-2 receptor alpha (IL2RA) is a key component of the IL-2 receptor complex, crucial for T cell and NK cell activation and proliferation. Modulation of IL2RA activity can significantly affect immune responses, making it a therapeutic target. Also known as IL-2, IL2, or IL-2R.
Human genetic studies provide strong validation for IL2RA as a therapeutic target, with variants linked to asthma (score 0.80), allergic disease (0.69), and atopic eczema (0.63). These associations support the development of therapies modulating IL2RA activity to treat immune-related disorders.
IL2RA is targeted by two FDA-approved biologic drugs, LYMPHIR and ONTAK, for other indications. These drugs, developed by CITIUS PHARMS and EISAI INC respectively, highlight IL2RA's clinical relevance in immune modulation.
IL2RA Genetic Evidence Strong
Genetic evidence strongly supports IL2RA's role in diseases like asthma, allergic disease, and atopic eczema.
Strong genetic support suggests that clinical trials targeting these genetically-validated indications have increased probability of success.
Evidence Across Diseases
20 totalGWAS and other genetic studies link IL2 to 31 diseases.
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 IL2RA Drugs
CITIUS PHARMS and EISAI INC are the only companies with approved IL2RA-targeting drugs.
Low market concentration suggests relatively low barriers to entry for new companies targeting IL2RA.
IL2RA Drug Modality Landscape
Modalities
Routes of Administration
IL2RA requires biologic approaches (biologic (other)), likely due to its structure or location.
The absence of small molecule or antibody drugs represents a whitespace opportunity for novel therapeutic modalities.
IL2RA Clinical Trials 10 trials
Phase 1-4 trials started in 2008 or later that test an FDA-approved drug acting on IL2RA. Source: ClinicalTrials.gov. How we count
Completion by Phase
| Phase | Total | Completed | Stopped | Active | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33% |
| Phase 2 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 29% |
Top Sponsors
By Modality
Top Conditions
IL2RA Drug Approval Timeline (1999 - 2024)
The first IL2RA-targeting drug was approved in 1999, with the most recent approval in 2024.
The 26-year span between approvals indicates a potentially revitalized interest in IL2RA as a drug target.
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: 10 (2 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 IL2RA. A trial counts if an approved drug acting on IL2RA 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.