DERMATOLOGY: Possible new treatment for psoriasis New data,
generated by Thomas Jung and colleagues, at Novartis Exploratory
Development, Switzerland, have indicated that a drug known
currently as AEB071 can reduce the clinical symptoms of
psoriasis, a chronic, currently incurable autoimmune skin
disease. In the study, healthy volunteers and patients with
psoriasis were administered AEB071 by mouth. Different groups of
individuals received different doses of the drug, but all doses
were well tolerated with no obvious side effects. The decrease
in the clinical symptoms of psoriasis was associated with a
decreased ability of immune cells known as lymphocytes to divide
and express a soluble factor known as IL-2. The authors
therefore suggest that AEB071 might be an effective new
treatment for psoriasis, although they caution that further
clinical trials are needed to more clearly establish that the
drug is safe and effective. TITLE: The PKC inhibitor AEB071 may
be a therapeutic option for psoriasis Novartis Expl