04:04 PM EST, 03/05/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Nektar Therapeutics ( NKTR ) said Tuesday it started the phase 2b trial for rezpegaldesleukin to treat patients experiencing severe to very severe alopecia areata.

The Phase 2b study will evaluate rezpegaldesleukin's efficacy and safety in 84 participants with severe alopecia areata over a 36-week period using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled dosage, Nektar said.

Alopecia areata is a disease where the patient's immune system attacks hair follicles, resulting in hair loss.

Rezpegaldesleukin is an agonistic T regulatory cell biologic that reduces inflammation and restores immune balance by expanding functional T regulatory cells and "engaging multiple immunoregulatory pathways," the company said.

Nektar shares fell 2% in recent Tuesday trading.

Price: 0.88, Change: -0.02, Percent Change: -1.97