Eczema

Our lead drug candidate, WBI-1001, is targeted as a topical cream treatment for autoimmune/inflammatory skin diseases, such as psoriasis and eczema.

Eczema is a term used to describe a range of persistent or recurring skin rashes characterized by redness, edema, intense itching and dryness. It is the most common inflammatory skin condition in childhood, affecting 10-20% of infants and children and 2-6% of adults worldwide. Besides causing skin discomfort, bleeding and infection, the disease can have a serious impact on a patient’s self esteem, mood and self-confidence, especially at a crucial time in a child's development. A study by the International Study of Life with Atopic Eczema on 2,002 patients and caregivers showed that 51% of patients were either always or sometimes unhappy or depressed.

The global market value for eczema treatment products was approximately $2.5 billion in 2005; the market size seems certain to grow as the prevalence of eczema in children has risen significantly over the past few decades and continues to rise. The most commonly used therapeutic treatment for eczema is one of the corticosteroids, but they are not recommended for treatments of longer than 4 weeks duration due to their adverse side effects. Two non-steroid drugs currently in the market for the treatment of eczema are the topical immunosuppressants, Elidel and Protopic. However, both brands have experienced steady decline in sales and the FDA has issued warnings against their long term use. Doctors and parents hesitate to treat children with any topical corticosteroid. These factors demonstrate the large market potential and unmet need for a safe, topical, small molecule eczema treatment.

Welichem’s WBI-1001 drug candidate recently completed a double-blind, placebo controlled Phase IIa clinical trial in Canada on patients with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis (a type of eczema). This topical cream application showed an excellent safety profile, and post-hoc analysis demonstrated significant efficacy. Completion of the Phase II trials are now scheduled.