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NCT Number: NCT07355218

A Study of Enpatoran in Participants With Cutaneous Manifestations of Lupus With or Without Systemic Disease (ELOWEN-2)

The purpose of this global, multicenter, Phase 3 study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of enpatoran over 24 weeks in participants with active cutaneous manifestations of lupus erythematosus with or without systemic disease. Study details include:

Study Duration: Up to 35 weeks. Treatment Duration: 24 weeks. Visit Frequency: every 4 weeks, with the exception of the Week 2 televisit. Study Intervention Name: Enpatoran, Placebo.

Intervention Form: Film-coated tablet.

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Key information

Age range

18 year–75 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 3

Primary location

The Medical Arts Health Research Group - 300128547, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada

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Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Vaccinations are up to date according to local guidelines/recommendations. Recombinant zoster vaccination is encouraged but not mandatory.
  • Participants with diagnosis of Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (DLE) and/or Subacute Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (SCLE) documented in medical history, with or without Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).
  • Participants with active Acute Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (ACLE) as sole cutaneous manifestations is allowed in the presence of SLE and should be present for at least 6 weeks prior to the Screening visit.
  • Participants with diagnosis of SLE fulfilling the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR)/American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2019 classification criteria, must have active DLE and/or SCLE and/or ACLE.

For participants with SLE:

  • Participants with diagnosis of SLE and fulfill EULAR/ACR 2019 classification criteria.
  • Participants with disease duration (cutaneous disease and, where applicable, SLE) of >= 6 months from time of diagnosis to Screening.
  • Participants with CLASI-A score >= 8 at Screening and Day 1 visits.
  • Other protocol-defined inclusion criteria may apply.

Exclusion criteria

  • Participants with primary diagnosis of autoimmune rheumatic disease (e.g., systemic sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis) other than Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (CLE) and SLE.
  • Participants with any condition including dermatological diseases other than cutaneous manifestations of lupus (e.g. psoriasis), any uncontrolled disease (e.g. asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial lung disease, bronchiectasis, pulmonary arterial hypertension), or life-threatening manifestations of lupus (e.g. active systemic vasculitis) that in Investigator's or Sponsor/designee's opinion constitutes inappropriate risk or contraindication for participation.
  • Participants with drug-induced lupus (SLE or CLE).
  • Participants with active lupus nephritis on induction therapy, or induction therapy completed within 3 months of the Screening visit (stable maintenance therapy with either mycophenolate azathioprine or an oral calcineurin inhibitor is allowed).
  • Participants with Urine Protein-to-Creatinine Ratio (UPCR) greater than (>) 339 milligrams per millimole (mg/mmol), and/or estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) less than 40 milliliters per minute per 1.73 square meters of body surface area (mL/min/1.73 m^2), as calculated by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation.
  • Participants with any active signs, symptoms, or diagnoses considered related to Central Nervous System (CNS) lupus within the past 3 months, or any history of uncontrolled seizures.
  • Other protocol-defined exclusion criteria may apply.

Treatment and study plan

Enpatoran

Drug

Participants will receive a dose of Enpatoran orally twice daily from Day 1 to Day 168.

Other names: M5049

Placebo

Drug

Participants will receive a single oral dose of a placebo matching Enpatoran tablet twice daily from Day 1 to Day 168.

Standard of Care (SOC)

Drug

Participants will receive Investigator-recommended SoC.

Primary outcomes

  1. Percentage of Participants With Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus Disease Area and Severity Index (CLASI) 70 Response, Defined as >= 70 Percent (%) Decrease in CLASI-A Score From Baseline

    Time frame: At Week 24

Secondary outcomes

  1. Percentage of Participants With British Isles Lupus Assessment Group Based Composite Lupus Assessment (BICLA) Response

    Time frame: At Week 24

    A BICLA response is defined as British Isles Lupus Assessment Group Disease Activity Index 2004 (BILAG 2004) -improvement without worsening (A scores at Baseline improved to B, C or D; B scores improved to C or D; no new A scores and less than or equal to [<=] 1 new B.); Here, score A ("Active"): Severely active disease; score B ("Beware"): Moderately active disease; score C ("Contentment"): Mild stable disease; score D ("Discount"): Inactive now but previously active; -no worsening in disease activity (no new BILAG 2004 A scores and <= 1 new B score); -no worsening of total Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) score from Baseline; -no significant deterioration (less than [<] 10% worsening) in visual analog Physician's Global Assessment (PGA) and -no treatment failure i.e. protocol-prohibited medications as determined by Endpoint Adjudication Committee (EAC) or premature discontinuation from study treatment).

  2. Number of Participants With Treatment Emergent adverse events (TEAEs), Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), and Adverse Events of Special Interest (AESI)

    Time frame: From Day 1 to Week 24

  3. Number of Participants With Abnormal (greater than and equal to [>=] Grade 3) laboratory parameters

    Time frame: From Day 1 to Week 24

  4. Percentage of Participants With CLASI-A less than and equal to (<=) 3 at Week 24

    Time frame: At Week 24

    CLASI-A assesses the signs of CLE disease activity including erythema, scale, and hypertrophy, active alopecia, and mucous membrane disease, Scores range from 0 to 70 points for CLASI-A score. Mild, moderate, and severe disease corresponds with CLASI activity score ranges of 0 to 9, 10 to 20, and 21 to 70, respectively. Higher scores indicate more disease activity.

  5. Percentage of Participants With CLASI-50 Response, Defined as >=50% Decrease in CLASI-A Score From Baseline

    Time frame: At Weeks 4 and 24

  6. Percentage of Participants With Clinically Meaningful Corticosteroid (CS) Reduction

    Time frame: Day 1 up to Week 12 and thereafter upto Week 24

    Clinically meaningful CS reduction, is defined as reduction of daily prednisone-equivalent dose from >= 10 milligrams (mg) at Day 1 to <= 5 mg by the Week 12 visit and sustained through Week 24.

  7. Change from Baseline in Worst Itch Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) Score at Week 24

    Time frame: Baseline and at Week 24

    The Worst Itch NRS is a self-rated single item scale designed for assessing worst itch in the past 7 days. The scale utilizes 11-point NRS, scored from of 0 (no itch) to 10 (worst imaginable itch).

  8. Change from Baseline in CLASI-A Erythema at Week 24

    Time frame: Baseline and at Week 24

    CLASI-A assesses the signs of CLE disease activity including erythema, scale, and hypertrophy, active alopecia, and mucous membrane disease, Scores range from 0 to 70 points for CLASI-A score. Mild, moderate, and severe disease corresponds with CLASI activity score ranges of 0 to 9, 10 to 20, and 21 to 70, respectively. Higher scores indicate more disease activity.

  9. Change from Baseline in CLASI-A Scale/Hypertrophy at Week 24

    Time frame: Baseline and at Week 24

    CLASI-A assesses the signs of CLE disease activity including erythema, scale, and hypertrophy, active alopecia, and mucous membrane disease, Scores range from 0 to 70 points for CLASI-A score. Mild, moderate, and severe disease corresponds with CLASI activity score ranges of 0 to 9, 10 to 20, and 21 to 70, respectively. Higher scores indicate more disease activity.

  10. Change from Baseline in CLASI-A Alopecia at Week 24

    Time frame: Baseline and at Week 24

    CLASI-A assesses the signs of CLE disease activity including erythema, scale, and hypertrophy, active alopecia, and mucous membrane disease, Scores range from 0 to 70 points for CLASI-A score. Mild, moderate, and severe disease corresponds with CLASI activity score ranges of 0 to 9, 10 to 20, and 21 to 70, respectively. Higher scores indicate more disease activity.

  11. Percentage of Participants With a Cutaneous Lupus Activity Investigator's Global Assessment-Revised (CLA-IGA-R OMC) Score of 0 or 1 and at Least a 1-Point Reduction at Week 24

    Time frame: At Week 24

    The CLA-IGA-R is assessed by the investigator, who assigns rater to assign scores to 3 individual domains (e.g. erythema, other morphologic characteristics - OMC [scales, edema)/infiltration and secondary change (vesicles, erosion, crusting)] and follicular activity). Clinicians assess the severity of the first 2 domains of erythema and OMC from 0 (Clear) to 4 (Severe); they assess the severity of the third domain of follicular activity as "absent" or "present." Higher scores indicate more disease activity.

  12. Percentage of Participants with BILAG Moderate to Severe Flares

    Time frame: up to Week 24

  13. Time to First Moderate/Severe BILAG Flare

    Time frame: Day 1 through Week 24

    Median time to first moderate or severe BILAG Flare will be calculated.

  14. Percentage of Participants with Corticosteroid (CS) reduction of Daily Prednisone Equivalent Dose

    Time frame: Day 1 up to 24 weeks

    CS reduction is defined as of daily prednisone-equivalent dose from >= 10 milligrams per day (mg/day) at Day 1 to <= 5 mg/day and sustained for 12 weeks

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Communication Center

CONTACT

[email protected]

+49 6151 72 5200

US Medical Information

CONTACT

[email protected]

888-275-7376

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

EMD Serono Research & Development Institute, Inc.

Industry

Collaborators

  • Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Registry information

Official study title

A Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Blind,Placebo-Controlled Parallel Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Enpatoran in Participants With Active Cutaneous Manifestations of Lupus Erythematosus With or Without Systemic Disease Receiving Standard of Care (ELOWEN-2)

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2029
Study completion
2029
First posted
Jan 21, 2026
Registry last updated
Jul 17, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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