Dermagen Reports Successful Phase I/IIa Clinical Trial for Atopic Dermatitis
DermaGen AB - part of the Karolinska Development dermatology and wound healing company Pergamum - announced that Dermagen AB has received promising results from a clinical Phase I/IIa study. DermaGen AB is developing a novel antimicrobial peptide (AMP) treatment for atopic dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease where dry skin and the skin's weakened barrier function make patients susceptible to colonization by microorganisms, a triggering or exacerbating factor of the disease. The AMP has shown a broad spectrum of activity and is both bactericidal and fungicidal. In the clinical trial, the company's candidate drug clearly reached its primary objective, demonstrating a significant reduction of total microbes in eczemas compared to placebo. In addition to good safety and tolerability performance, the candidate drug also showed a trend towards improved eczema status. This is the first time a study has shown efficacy of AMPs for atopic dermatitis in man.
The rapid resistance development by microbes limits the use of classical antibiotics for indications such as atopic dermatitis, especially for topical applications. DermaGen's AMP is derived from natural endogenous human proteins and there is low probability that it will induce resistance as it lack a specific molecular target on bacteria and other microbes. Anti-infective treatments represent the most important component of the global dermatology market, accounting for 31% of total market value, approximately USD 4 billion.
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