BioPharmX Poster at ASCB Annual Meeting to Show Topical Minocycline Has Potential to Deliver Non-Antibiotic Benefits
- Poster at ASCB Annual Meeting suggests minocycline may be an effective anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory against P. acnes-stimulated human keratinocytes
- Topical application potentially delivers minocycline's anti-inflammatory benefit to a targeted area of application
- It also requires much lower doses of the antibiotic, reducing side-effect risk
MENLO PARK, Calif., Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- BioPharmX Corporation (NYSE MKT: BPMX), a specialty pharmaceutical company developing products for the dermatology market, will share research findings this week that suggest topical minocycline fights P. acnes-induced inflammation in human keratinocytes.
The data will be shared in a poster presentation titled "Effects of minocycline against Propionibacterium acnes-induced inflammation in human keratinocytes," at the ASCB Annual Meeting in San Francisco Tuesday.
The study, part of BioPharmX's assessment of the effectiveness of its unique BPX-01 topical minocycline formulation, suggests that the effectiveness of minocycline's anti-inflammatory properties against P. acnes-stimulated keratinocytes may be realized in a topical formulation.
Recent studies found that inflammation – long thought to be a side-effect of P. acnes – may actually be the underlying cause of acne. That would mean any formulation that delivers minocycline's anti-inflammatory benefits of lesion count and lesion size reduction – as well as its antibacterial benefits – would optimize the drug's therapeutic value for prescribing physicians.
"Our research suggests that topical minocycline may deliver an anti-inflammatory benefit," said Kin F. Chan, executive vice president of research and technology. "Our previous research showed that topical minocycline is effective at doses far lower than those typically found in oral formulations, thereby reducing side-effect risks. This further analysis suggests that a topical formulation of minocycline unleashes other biological benefits that are independent of its anti-microbial activity."
BPX-01 is the first and only stable hydrophilic (non-oil-based) topical gel with fully solubilized minocycline that can penetrate the skin to deliver the antibiotic to the layer of skin where the acne develops in the pilosebaceous unit. The company's studies are designed to confirm whether BPX-01 will effectively treat acne with lower, and potentially safer, dosages of the antibiotic.
BioPharmX has just initiated a Phase 2b dose-finding study, called the OPAL Trial (tOPicAL minocycline gel), a 12-week, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, three-arm, vehicle controlled study and will enroll 225 subjects, aged 9 to 40, with moderate-to-severe inflammatory, non-nodular acne vulgaris.
The American Academy of Dermatology calls acne the "most common skin condition in the United States," affecting 40 million to 50 million Americans. The U.S. market for acne medications is estimated at $10 billion.
