According to a story from dubainewstoday.blogspot.com, the data from a Phase I clinical trial suggests that an experimental drug candidate from the pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim could substantially improve the lives of patients with generalized pustular psoriasis. The investigational therapy is known as BI 655130. The trial results were first published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
About Generalized Pustular Psoriasis
Generalized pustular psoriasis is a very rare and potentially life-threatening form of psoriasis. Unlike typical psoriasis, this type is characterized by the appearance of small pus-filled blisters that can occur all over the skin. Its presentation can vary substantially. In most cases, generalized pustular psoriasis appears in patients that already have a history of other, more common forms of psoriasis, although it can appear without warning as well. There are a number of factors that can trigger the onset of the condition, such as infections, corticosteroid withdrawal, solar irradiation, a number of other medications, pregnancy, and irritation from certain topical therapies. There are also certain genetic variants that have been linked to the disease. Aside from the appearance of pustules on the skin, many patients also present with fever. There are a wide variety of treatments that have been successful in treating generalized pustular psoriasis, but there is no universal therapy that has been found to be effective in everyone. To learn more about generalized pustular psoriasis, click here.
A New Treatment Advancement?
BI 655130 is a monoclonal antibody that blocks that IL-36R receptor which is widely believed to play a critical role in a number of inflammatory diseases. The clinical trial in included seven patients who were experiencing a generalized pustular psoriasis flare up that ranged from moderate to severe. These patients were treated with a single dose and then monitored for a 20 week period. By the end of the first week, five of the patients had seem their pustules almost entirely disappear. The following week, skin symptoms had improved by 73.2 percent on average for all of the patients. There was also no evidence of serious adverse reactions or side effects.
These results suggest that BI 655130 could be a valuable treatment for patients with generalized pustular psoriasis. The drug is also being tested in a number of other indications as well, such as ulcerative colitis and atopic dermatitis.
