Pharmaprojects R&D Pipeline News Feed
New hope for sufferers of chronic hand eczema- Toctino approved in the UK
10th September 2008
The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved Basilea Pharmaceuticals' Toctino (alitretinoin) for the treatment of chronic hand eczema (CHE) in patients unresponsive to potent topical corticosteroids, giving new hope to those affected by this debilitating condition.
Current treatments for hand eczema include bath oils, emollients, control of diet and topical administration of corticosteroids; however these do not necessarily give sufficient benefit to those people with the severe form of the condition and whose hands may be characterised by fissured, thick scaly skin.
Basilea Pharmaceuticals' alitretinoin offers a new approach to the treatment of CHE. It is an orally administered retinoic acid receptor (RAR) agonist and is the only RAR agonist to be developed for the treatment of eczema. In the past drugs with this activity have been predominately used for the treatment of acne and psoriasis.
The UK approval of Toctino coincides nicely with National Eczema week which is taking place in the UK from 13-21 September which aims to raise awareness of eczema and its treatment. Toctino has also been recommended for approval in ten additional EU Member States and is under regulatory review in Canada and Switzerland.
