Psoriasis clinical trial news

Biotech and pharmaceutical interest in psoriasis treatments continues. Here are a couple items just from the last few days.

Manhattan Pharmaceuticals, on the heels of announcing that their obesity drug candidate had failed in Phase 2a trials (an important reminder of the risks of new treatment development), was quick to reiterate its hopes in its potential psoriasis treatment:

Topical PTH (1-34) -- Manhattan Pharmaceuticals is developing topical PTH (1-34) for the treatment of psoriasis. ... The company is currently conducting preclinical studies on its improved topical formulation for PTH (1-34) and intends to submit a corporate investigational new drug application (IND) in the third quarter of 2007. Pending the outcome of that IND submission, the company intends to initiate a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2a clinical trial in 2H07. In addition, the company has filed new patent applications in the U.S. with respect to the product.

Meanwhile, Welichem Biotech announced it is moving forward in Canada with its early-stage trials of its psoriasis treatment candidate:

[T]he Company will initiate its Phase I Clinical Trials of WBI-1001 within the next week, in Montreal, in a medically supervised study involving 36 patients suffering mild to moderate psoriasis. ... Clinical data on safety and efficacy from the Phase I Clinical Trials of the Company's anti-psoriasis candidate should be available by the end of this year. If the results are as the Company expects, Phase II trials should commence in mid-2008.

You can read more about the psoriasis drug and treatment pipeline here.