Meytag Technology Incubator portfolio company DermiPsor has obtained the results of its Phase II clinical trial for its psoriasis drug. The company said it had positive indications for its preparation, which includes derivatives of Vitamin B and Vitamin D, over three test groups. One group received only a placebo, the second received only a Vitamin B preparation, and the third received only a Vitamin D preparation. Each patient received two different products on two parts of the body; DermiPsor’s preparation was spread on one side and a control product was spread on the other.
The trial, which included 168 patients at five medical centers in Europe, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The trial showed improvement in the condition of patients who used DermiPsor’s preparation compared with the each of the other groups. The improvement was not statistically significant, however/.
DermiPsor quoted the two psoriasis experts who are members of its scientific advisory board, Prof. Alice Gotlieb and Prof. Mark Lebwohl, as saying that the trial results were enough to continue to Phase III clinical trials, which will be conducted on several hundred to several thousand patients. The FDA will notify the company in a few months whether will allow it go forward with the Phase III trials.
Psoriasis is a skin disease that is apparently caused by an autoimmune problem. There is no successful treatment at present. Steroids are used to treat severe cases, but they can cause severe side effects. Derivatives of Vitamin B and D are used to treat less severe cases, but the treatments are not particularly effective.
DermiPsor is seeking an effective treatment without the side effects of steroids. The Psoriasis treatment market amounts to $1 billion a year.
DermiPsor was founded in 2004 at Meytag Technology Incubator by Dr. Avikam Harel and Dr. Olga Bloch. The company has raised NIS 7.8 million to date. Its main shareholders are Meytag Capital Point Ltd. (TASE:CPTP) with a 37.7% stake; the entrepreneurs (31%); and private investors (24.3%), including Empire Online chairman Noam Lanir and Benny Alagem.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on August 7, 2007
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