Topical Cyclosporine could soon be available for psoriasis

[Fred]

Here's some good news for psoriasis patients that don't get on with taking pills but would be happy to try Ciclosporine.

Immune Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Immune), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced it has entered into an exclusive worldwide licensing and development agreement with BioNanoSim Ltd (BioNanoSim), an Israeli nanotechnology drug delivery company, for a novel topical nano-capsule formulation of cyclosporine.

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Monica Luchi, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Immune, commented: "Oral cyclosporine, a potent immunosuppressive drug, known to reduce the activity of the immune system by interfering with T-cells, has revolutionized transplantation medicine. Its use in dermatology has been limited to severe cases of psoriasis and atopic dermatitis, because of significant systemic toxicity. In a validated human skin model of atopic dermatitis, a novel topical nano-capsule formulation of cyclosporine A demonstrated comparable efficacy to a high potency topical corticosteroid. We believe that this product candidate could provide an important therapeutic alternative for millions of patients with chronic inflammatory skin disorders such as moderate atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. We intend to accelerate the development of this product candidate under the abbreviated 505(b)(2) drug development pathway permitted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration."

This topical nano-capsule formulation of cyclosporine incorporates a patented technology invented by Professor Simon Benita, the former Director of the Institute for Drug Research and Head of the School of Pharmacy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Professor Benita has pioneered a nano-drug delivery platform for improving the absorption of poorly absorbed drugs. He recently succeeded in incorporating cyclosporine into a nano-capsule formulation that can be absorbed through the skin.  In validated preclinical animal and human skin models, this new topical formulation was shown to deliver therapeutic levels of cyclosporine to targeted skin layers and to limit systemic absorption. "We believe that this collaboration with Immune will leverage our nanotechnology expertise and advance this novel product candidate into the clinic," said Professor Benita.

Source: immunepharmaceuticals.com

[jiml]

That's great news for sufferers and will be interesting to follow its progress
It will be interesting to see how effective it is as a topical treatment and how safe it is