Idera Pharma: Itching For Touch Up…

10/17/2012 6:08 AM ET Psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease, is said to be probably one of the oldest known diseases. It is estimated that as many as 7.5 million Americans and 125 million people worldwide have psoriasis. Though there are several different types of psoriasis, the most prevalent form of the disease is plaque psoriasis.

The truth about psoriasis is that it is not just a cosmetic problem as this devastating disease causes physical pain as well as frustration and self-consciousness to the patients. There is no cure yet for psoriasis, but a number of treatments are available to manage its symptoms.

Working on the development of a treatment for patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis is Idera Pharmaceuticals Inc. (IDRA: Quote), a clinical stage biotechnology company.

For readers who are new to Idera, here's a brief overview of its pipeline and the upcoming events to watch out for...

The most-advanced compound in the company's pipeline is IMO-3100, which is under phase II testing in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. The phase II trial of IMO-3100 for psoriasis was initiated in April of this year and it completed the enrollment of 44 patients this month. Idera expects reporting top-line data from this phase II study by year-end 2012.

The clinical activity of IMO-3100, including the impact on Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI), mean focal psoriasis severity, and Physician Global Assessment (PGA) scores are being assessed in the phase II study. In addition, biopsies of psoriasis plaques are evaluated for treatment-related changes in epidermal thickness and immune cell infiltrates consistent with the intended mechanism of action, according to the company.

The completion of the phase II study for IMO-3100 in psoriasis is expected during the first half of 2013.

Amgen's Enbrel, Abbott Labs' Humira, and Johnson & Johnson's Remicade, Simponi and Stelara are some of the FDA-approved biologic drugs for psoriasis. The global psoriasis market is estimated to be worth around $4.5 billion to $5 billion.

Idera's psoriasis drug candidate - IMO-3100, is a dual antagonist of Toll-like receptor TLR7 and TLR9, which play a key role in inflammation and immunity.

Next in the company's pipeline is IMO-8400, a first-in-class antagonist of TLRs 7, 8, and 9, for the treatment of lupus. Given the fact that IMO-8400 has demonstrated preclinical efficacy - in mouse models of lupus, Idera anticipates initiating a phase I dose escalation trial during the fourth quarter of 2012 to evaluate the safety and pharmacodynamics of IMO-8400 in healthy subjects.

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Idera Pharma: Itching For Touch Up...