Allakos Inc. announced positive Phase 2 results from two additional chronic urticaria cohorts: patients with cholinergic urticaria and symptomatic dermographism (also referred to as dermatographic urticaria). Earlier this month, Allakos reported that 12 of 13 patients (92%) in the Xolair-naïve chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) cohort achieved a complete response with AK002. Top-line results for the remaining urticaria cohort, patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria who failed to respond to Xolair, are expected later in the first quarter of 2019. The study is being conducted at four sites in the U.S. and Germany. The cholinergic urticaria and symptomatic dermographism cohorts enrolled 11 and 10 patients, respectively, with uncontrolled urticaria despite treatment with H1 antihistamines at doses of up to four times the labeled antihistamine dosage. Antihistamine medication was maintained throughout the screening period and during the study. Baseline symptom scores, as measured by Urticaria Control Test (UCT) were collected over a 4-week screening period. Patients with baseline UCT scores of less than 12, indicative of poorly-controlled urticaria, were enrolled in the study and treated with up to six doses of AK002 given once monthly. Patients received an initial dose of 0.3 mg/kg at baseline, followed by a dose of 1.0 mg/kg on day 28, and then received monthly doses of either 1.0 or 3.0 mg/kg, depending on response, for a total of six doses. The primary efficacy endpoint was change from baseline in UCT assessed at week 22, two weeks after the last dose of AK002. Phase 2 Chronic Urticaria Study. The open-label Phase 2 study is being conducted at four sites in the U.S. and Germany. The study enrolled 45 patients with uncontrolled chronic urticaria with a UCT score less than 12 despite treatment with H1 antihistamines at doses up to four times the labeled dosage. Patients were enrolled in four cohorts depending on the form of urticaria and prior treatment: chronic spontaneous urticaria Xolair naïve (N=13), chronic spontaneous urticaria Xolair failures (N=11), cholinergic urticaria (N=11) and symptomatic dermographism (N=10). Antihistamine medication was maintained throughout the screening period and study. Baseline symptom scores, including UCT, were collected over a 4-week screening period. Patients with baseline UCT scores of less than 12 were enrolled in the study and treated with up to six doses of AK002 given monthly. Patients received an initial dose of 0.3 mg/kg, 1.0 mg/kg on day 28, and then received monthly doses of either 1.0 or 3.0 mg/kg for a total of six doses. Efficacy was assessed at week 22 using the urticaria control test (UCT) and UAS7 (for patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria only).