The pharmaceutical company UNION Therapeutics announced that its high-potency oral phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor orismilast may effectively treat patients with moderate to severe psoriasis, according to a report from BioSpace. Positive topline results from the double-blind, placebo-controlled phase IIb IASOS trial showed that among the 202 patients randomly assigned to receive either orismilast or placebo, those who received one of three active doses of orismilast twice daily saw statistically significant improvements of their psoriasis over 16 weeks. “The promising topline data from the IASOS study illustrates that selective potent [phosphodiesterase-4] inhibition by orismilast offers the potential for additional efficacy in combination with a well-known safety profile from the phosphodiesterase-4 class,” emphasized signatory study investigator Richard Warren, MBChB (hons), PhD, Professor of Dermatology and Therapeutics in the Division of Musculoskeletal and Dermatological Sciences at the University of Manchester. With few oral medications available for those with moderate to severe psoriasis, orismilast gives patients hope that the medication may offer anti-inflammatory effects for psoriasis—as well as for atopic dermatitis and hidradenitis suppurativa, following results from further studies expected to conclude later in 2023.
May 25, 2023