Johnson & Johnson JNJ announced entering into an exclusive global licensing agreement with Kaken Pharmaceutical to develop, manufacture and commercialize the latter’s STAT6 program for autoimmune and allergic diseases, including atopic dermatitis (AD). The licensing deal for Kaken’s STAT6 program includes global rights to its lead candidate, KP-723.

How the Licensing Deal for the AD Program Benefits JNJ

The licensing deal with Kaken reinforces Johnson & Johnson’s dedication to targeting disease-specific pathways across diverse patient populations, leveraging innovative mechanisms and approaches to revolutionize the treatment of AD and other autoimmune and allergic conditions.

Per JNJ, most AD patients fail to achieve remission with currently available treatments, representing a huge unmet medical need. The company believes that the STAT6 program stands out as a promising research area, offering the potential for a safe and effective novel oral therapy for those suffering from AD and other autoimmune diseases.

In the past three months, shares of JNJ have lost 10.2% compared with the industry’s 13.8% decline.

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Johnson & Johnson is currently gearing up to initiate a phase I study on KP-723 to treat AD in 2025. The company also expects to investigate the candidate in other Th2-mediated diseases, including asthma, in the future. The candidate is being developed as an oral pill for AD, which is expected to ensure convenience of use and hence better patient compliance.

AD, also known as eczema, is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that affects more than 9.6 million children and 16.5 million adults in the United States. It causes itching and inflammation that can worsen with scratching. AD takes a serious toll on the quality of life of people suffering from it. In the worst cases, it may also lead to suicide.

Kaken retains KP-723’s commercialization rights in Japan, where Johnson & Johnson can enter into a co-promotion agreement with Kaken. In consideration of the licensing agreement, Kaken is eligible to receive an equity investment from Johnson & Johnson.

In 2024, JNJ added other development candidates to its dermatology pipeline, with differentiated mechanisms of action to treat AD through acquisitions. These additions highlight the company’s strategic focus on developing a portfolio of distinct and complementary bispecifics targeting multiple key disease-driving pathways in treating AD and other immune-mediated diseases.

Johnson & Johnson Price and Consensus

Johnson & Johnson price-consensus-chart | Johnson & Johnson Quote

JNJ’s Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

Johnson & Johnson currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks from the sector are Castle Biosciences CSTL, CytomX Therapeutics CTMX and Spero Therapeutics SPRO, each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

In the past 60 days, 2024 estimates for Castle Biosciences have improved from a loss of 59 cents per share to earnings of 34 cents. During the same timeframe, loss per share estimates for 2025 have narrowed from $2.15 to $1.84. In the past three months, shares of Castle Biosciences have lost 5%.

CSTL’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average surprise of 172.72%.

In the past 60 days, estimates for CytomX Therapeutics’ 2024 loss per share have narrowed from 29 cents to 5 cents. Estimates for 2025 loss per share have narrowed from 56 cents to 35 cents during the same timeframe. In the past three months, CTMX stock has lost 3.4%.

CytomX’s earnings beat estimates in two of the trailing four quarters and missed the mark in the other two, delivering an average surprise of 115.70%.

In the past 60 days, estimates for Spero Therapeutics’ 2024 loss per share have narrowed from $1.59 to $1.29. Estimates for 2025 loss per share have narrowed from $1.54 to 79 cents during the same timeframe. In the past three months, Spero’s shares have lost 29.6%.

SPRO’s earnings beat estimates in two of the trailing four quarters and missed the mark in the other two, delivering an average surprise of 94.42%.

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