Innovation Pharmaceuticals Inc (IPIX)

[Chemdeps]

Competition for Prurisol?

Galapagos and partner GlaxoSmithKline say their anti-inflammation candidate hit its mark in a mid-stage trial on psoriasis, a stroke of good news for a drug beset by developmental slipups.
The treatment, 2586184, met its primary endpoint of improving psoriasis severity at 12 weeks in a 66-patient Phase IIa study, the partners said, and the two reported no serious adverse events. Glaxo is running the placebo-controlled study on its own, and, under a 2012 deal between the duo, Galapagos is in line for up to $47 million in milestones and a cut of sales if the drug makes its way to market.
That seemed like a shaky proposition after Galapagos revealed in February that its Big Pharma partner had halted a Phase II study of 2586184 in lupus due to lack of effect and put on hold a Phase I/II trial testing the drug in ulcerative colitis. GSK's moves pinned any hopes for the JAK1 inhibitor on the then-pending psoriasis study, and now, in light of the drug's latest success, the U.K. giant said it plans to review the data before deciding whether to press on into Phase III.