CD38 Targeted Therapies
3 drugsAbout CD38
CD38, or Cyclic ADP Ribose Hydrolase, is an enzyme involved in various biological processes. It has emerged as a significant drug target, particularly in oncology, due to its role in cell signaling and immune regulation.
Human genetic studies provide strong support for CD38 as a therapeutic target (max score 0.76), with variants linked to Parkinson's disease (score 0.76) and other conditions. This genetic evidence strengthens the rationale for therapeutic intervention.
CD38 is targeted by 3 FDA-approved drugs, including DARZALEX, SARCLISA, and DARZALEX FASPRO, spanning biologics and antibodies. These drugs, developed by Johnson & Johnson and Sanofi, are primarily used in oncology.
Strategic Insights
ℹ️ How we calculate- Validated target with strong trial activity and 80% attractiveness score.
- White space opportunity in Amyloidosis with only 4 trials.
- phase1 represents biological uncertainty with 58% completion.
CD38 Genetic Evidence Strong
CD38 has strong genetic support with a maximum score of 0.76 linked to Parkinson's disease.
Strong genetic support suggests higher probability of clinical success, warranting further investment.
Evidence Across Diseases
10 totalGWAS and other genetic studies link CD38 to 10 diseases.
🔗 Colocalization Evidence 20 strong
max H4: 1.00eQTL/pQTL signals for CD38 colocalize with these GWAS traits, providing causal evidence that gene expression changes drive disease risk.
Understanding these scores
Association Score (0-1): Combines all evidence types (genetic, literature, drugs, animal models). Higher = more evidence linking target to disease. This is a ranking heuristic, not a confidence score.
L2G Score: Open Targets uses a machine learning model (Locus-to-Gene) to predict which gene is causal at each GWAS locus. L2G=0.5 means ~50% probability of being the causal gene. Only associations with L2G > 0.05 are included.
Odds Ratio (OR): From gene burden studies (UK Biobank, AstraZeneca PheWAS). Measures how loss-of-function variants affect disease risk. OR<1 = protective (inhibiting target may help), OR>1 = risk (losing function causes disease).
Beta (β): Effect size for continuous traits. β<0 = protective, β>0 = risk.
Clinical Translation (~1.8x): Based on Nelson et al. 2015: drug targets with genetic evidence have ~2x higher success rates in clinical trials. We estimate: Strong support (score ≥0.7) → ~1.8x, Moderate (0.3-0.7) → ~1.3x, Weak → baseline.
Colocalization (H4): Tests whether a GWAS signal and an eQTL/pQTL signal share the same causal variant. H4 is the posterior probability that both traits are associated AND share a causal variant. H4 > 0.8 = strong evidence that gene expression/protein levels drive disease risk. This links genetic variation → gene expression → disease, supporting the target-disease connection.
Top CD38 Drugs
Johnson & Johnson and Sanofi are the primary companies with approved CD38-targeting drugs.
High market concentration suggests significant barriers to entry; consider partnership or novel approach.
CD38 Drug Modality Landscape
Modalities
Routes of Administration
CD38 requires biologic approaches (biologic (other)), likely due to its structure or location.
Explore small molecule or alternative modalities to differentiate from existing biologics.
📈 Modality Evolution
Antibodies pioneered CD38 targeting (2015), with other biologics entering more recently (2020).
CD38 Clinical Trials 402 trials
Completion by Phase
| Phase | Total | Completed | Failed | Active | Completion |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | 123 | 45 | 29 | 49 | 61% |
| Phase 2 | 197 | 39 | 31 | 125 | 56% |
| Phase 3 | 73 | 16 | 4 | 53 | 80% |
| Phase 4 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 100% |
Top Sponsors
By Modality
Top Conditions
Top Drugs
Phase 3 Readout Calendar Pro
8 Phase 3 trials testing approved CD38 drugs across all sponsors.
Coverage: trials whose intervention is an approved drug targeting CD38. Pre-approval candidates with development codes (e.g. AZD0901, MK-7240) are not yet linked. Anchored on CT.gov primary completion date.
CD38 Drug Approval Timeline (2015 - 2020)
The first CD38-targeting drug was approved in 2015, with the most recent approval in 2020.
Relatively recent approvals indicate continued interest and potential for further development in this area.
Pro Intelligence Preview
Deep insights for drug target analysis
Competitive Landscape
- • 2 companies competing
- • Market share by company
Full Drug Portfolio
- • All 3 approved drugs
- • Approval dates & indications
Genetic Validation
- • Full genetic evidence table
- • Effect sizes & directions
Approval Timeline
- • Full 3-drug timeline
- • First-of-modality markers
Clinical Trials Analysis
- • Competition: High (15 sponsors)
- • White space: 6 underexplored indications
- • Success rates by condition
Full summary • All drugs • Genetic evidence • Trials • Timeline
How We Calculate These Metrics
Target Attractiveness Score
A 0-100 score based on trial activity, sponsor diversity, and completion rates. Calculated from 389 clinical trials targeting CD38.
Completion rate: Percentage of trials that reached their planned endpoint. Trials terminated early, withdrawn, or suspended are not counted—these often indicate safety issues, lack of efficacy, or strategic pivots.
- Highly Attractive (80+): High trial activity, many sponsors, strong completion rates
- Attractive (60-79): Good trial activity and validation
- Moderate (40-59): Moderate interest from sponsors
- Low (under 40): Limited trial activity or validation concerns
Strategic Insights
Auto-generated insights based on trial analytics including competition intensity, white space opportunities, modality shifts, and failure patterns. We analyze trial sponsors, phases, indications, and outcomes.
Risk Signals
- High Competition: Many sponsors competing for this target (may reduce market opportunity)
- High Failure Risk: Low trial completion rates suggest development challenges
- Low Validation: Limited trial activity or poor outcomes indicate uncertain viability
- White Space Available: Underexplored indications present opportunities