Tesnatilimab (JNJ-64304500)
Development of Tesnatilimab (JNJ-64304500) for alopecia areata was discontinued by Johnson & Johnson.
Janssen registered a Phase 2 of its anti-NKG2D antibody in alopecia areata in 2021 and withdrew it before a single patient was dosed.
This programme is no longer being actively pursued.
- Developed by
- Johnson & Johnson
- Current phase
- Discontinued
- Mechanism
- Immunomodulator
- Indications
- Alopecia areata
- Also known as
- JNJ-64304500, JNJ64304500, JNJ-4500
- Last public activity
- May 2021
- Copy last reviewed
- September 2026
- Record confidence
- High
Development stopped.
Retunes the immune system more broadly than a single pathway.
A research record, not medical advice: being listed here says nothing about whether a treatment works or whether it is right for you. Talk to a dermatologist about your own case.
How it is meant to work
An IgG4 antibody against NKG2D, a receptor on natural killer and cytotoxic T cells that has been implicated in the attack on the follicle in alopecia areata. Blocking it was a different lever from the JAK inhibitors, which act downstream inside the cell.
Why it matters
A large company set out to test the NKG2D hypothesis in alopecia areata and withdrew before dosing anyone. The trial, subcutaneous dosing against placebo over 22 weeks, was withdrawn in 2021 with 'sponsor decision' as the stated reason. The antibody's other programme, in Crohn's disease, met its endpoint in the first part of a Phase 2b and then showed no dose response; the 2023 trial report in the Journal of Crohn's and Colitis states that no further development is planned. Kept because a withdrawn big-pharma trial is a data point about the target, and one no press release recorded.
Development history
No phase changes recorded yet.
Registered trials
Pulled automatically from ClinicalTrials.gov. Matching is by name and development code, so occasional gaps are possible — tell us if you spot one.
A Study of JNJ-64304500 in Participants With Alopecia Areata
Janssen Research & Development, LLC · March 2021
Listing a trial is not a recommendation to join one. Eligibility, risks and costs vary enormously — discuss any trial with your own doctor first.
Sources
- A Study of JNJ-64304500 in Participants With Alopecia Areata — ClinicalTrials.gov
- Model-based investigation of inadequate efficacy of tesnatilimab, an anti-NKG2D monoclonal antibody, in moderately to severely active Crohn disease — Peer-reviewed
- A Phase 2b, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating the safety and efficacy of tesnatilimab in patients with moderately to severely active Crohn's disease — Peer-reviewed, March 2023
Related programmes
Other programmes in the register with the same mechanism: Immunomodulator.
Cite this page
Hair Pipeline, "Tesnatilimab (JNJ-64304500) — development record", hairpipeline.com/pipeline/tesnatilimab