Anacor Pharmaceuticals has completed patient enrolment for a Phase IIb trial of AN2728, a topical anti-inflammatory product candidate for the treatment of psoriasis, a chronic skin disease.
The double-blind, randomised, and vehicle-controlled trial is designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AN2728 in patients with mild to moderate plaque-type psoriasis.
The trial has enrolled 68 such patients across ten centres in the US.
Patients have been randomised to receive either a 2% AN2728 topical ointment or vehicle in a 2:1 ratio, and will apply the ointment twice-daily for 12 weeks.
The trial is not designed to demonstrate statistical differentiation of AN2728 from vehicle, but to determine the size and design of the two planned pivotal Phase III trials for AN2728.
AN2728 is a boron-based, small-molecule compound that reduces the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines that are the precursors of the inflammation associated with psoriasis.
Psoriasis affects more than 100 million people worldwide.
