IL4R Inhibitors
1 drugsAbout IL4R
The Interleukin-4 receptor (IL4R), also known as IL-4Rα, is a receptor protein on immune cells. It binds to interleukin-4 (IL-4), initiating intracellular events that influence cell growth, differentiation, and antibody production, modulating immune responses.
Human genetics provide moderate support for IL4R as a therapeutic target, with variants linked to atopic eczema (score 0.46) and seborrheic dermatitis (score 0.44). Loss-of-function variants are associated with increased risk, suggesting activation may be beneficial.
IL4R is targeted by one FDA-approved antibody drug, DUPIXENT (Regeneron), which has 5 indications in immunology. The first approval was in 2017.
Strategic Insights
ℹ️ How we calculate- Validated target with strong trial activity and 83% attractiveness score.
- White space opportunity in Asthma, Allergic with only 2 trials.
Human Genetic Evidence Strong
Genetic evidence provides moderate support for IL4R, with a max score of 0.46 linked to atopic eczema.
Moderate genetic support suggests further validation studies are needed to confirm target validity and prioritize indications.
💡 Why inhibition?
- • Loss-of-function variants reduce disease risk (OR < 1)
- • 100% directional consistency across 1 traits
- • Strong signal in phenotype, respiratory or thoracic disease pathways
Cross-Disease Effects
Trade-off: LowDirection of Effect
100% alignedEvidence Across Diseases
20 totalGWAS and other genetic studies link IL4R to 30 diseases.
Inhibiting this target may be therapeutic
🔗 Colocalization Evidence 20 strong
max H4: 1.00eQTL/pQTL signals for IL4R 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 Drugs
Regeneron is the only company with an approved IL4R-targeting drug.
High market concentration suggests significant entry barriers, requiring a differentiated therapeutic approach.
Drug Modality Landscape
Modalities
Routes of Administration
Only one approved drug targets IL4R, using antibody modality.
Explore alternative modalities like small molecules or peptides to differentiate from existing antibody therapies.
Clinical Trials 189 trials
Completion by Phase
| Phase | Total | Completed | Failed | Active | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 26 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 100% |
| Phase 2 | 53 | 32 | 4 | 17 | 89% |
| Phase 3 | 55 | 40 | 2 | 13 | 95% |
| Phase 4 | 55 | 23 | 4 | 28 | 85% |
Top Sponsors
By Modality
Top Conditions
Top Drugs
Phase 3 Readout Calendar Pro
8 Phase 3 trials testing approved IL4R drugs across all sponsors.
Coverage: trials whose intervention is an approved drug targeting IL4R. Pre-approval candidates with development codes (e.g. AZD0901, MK-7240) are not yet linked. Anchored on CT.gov primary completion date.
Drug Approval Timeline (2017 - 2017)
The first and only IL4R-targeting drug, DUPIXENT, was approved in 2017.
The lack of recent approvals indicates a potentially saturated market, requiring novel strategies for future development.
Pro Intelligence Preview
Deep insights for drug target analysis
Competitive Landscape
- • 1 companies competing
- • Market share by company
Full Drug Portfolio
- • All 1 approved drugs
- • Approval dates & indications
Genetic Validation
- • Full genetic evidence table
- • Effect sizes & directions
Approval Timeline
- • Full 1-drug timeline
- • First-of-modality markers
Clinical Trials Analysis
- • Competition: High (15 sponsors)
- • White space: 10 underexplored indications
- • Success rates by condition
Full summary • All drugs • Genetic evidence • Trials • Timeline
How We Calculate These Metrics
Target Attractiveness Score
A 0-100 score based on trial activity, sponsor diversity, and completion rates. Calculated from 165 clinical trials targeting IL4R.
Completion rate: Percentage of trials that reached their planned endpoint. Trials terminated early, withdrawn, or suspended are not counted—these often indicate safety issues, lack of efficacy, or strategic pivots.
- Highly Attractive (80+): High trial activity, many sponsors, strong completion rates
- Attractive (60-79): Good trial activity and validation
- Moderate (40-59): Moderate interest from sponsors
- Low (under 40): Limited trial activity or validation concerns
Strategic Insights
Auto-generated insights based on trial analytics including competition intensity, white space opportunities, modality shifts, and failure patterns. We analyze trial sponsors, phases, indications, and outcomes.
Risk Signals
- High Competition: Many sponsors competing for this target (may reduce market opportunity)
- High Failure Risk: Low trial completion rates suggest development challenges
- Low Validation: Limited trial activity or poor outcomes indicate uncertain viability
- White Space Available: Underexplored indications present opportunities