Can-Fite reports promising results for psoriasis drug

Can-Fite drug could bring fresh hope to psoriasis sufferers. Photo by Reuters

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Can-Fite Biopharma on Sunday reported positive intermediate results for its Phase II clinical trials of the drug CF-101 to treat moderate to severe psoriasis.

Based on the results from the first 103 patients, Can-Fite is recruiting more patients for a 300-person trial that will span the United States, Europe and Israel.

Psoriasis is an autoimmune skin disease that affects between two percent and three percent of people. The market for psoriasis drugs is estimated at $3.6 billion per year, 67 percent of which belongs to biopharmaceuticals (as opposed to "chemical" drugs).

Administered monotherapy, the efficacy of CF 101 increased in a linear fashion throughout the 24-week trial, according to analysis of the results by a third-party firm. In that CF 101 was similar to competing drugs in advanced development, including Cellgene's Apremilast. Another is Pfizer's Tofacitinib, which was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Completing the Phase II trial will cost $1 million, projects Can-Fite CEO Pnina Fishman.

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Can-Fite reports promising results for psoriasis drug