U.S. Patent Office Allows Laurantis Pharma Oy Application for Treatment of Skin Inflammation

Published: Aug 01, 2012

TURKU, FINLAND--(Marketwire - August 01, 2012) -

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The United States Patent and Trademark Office has allowed a patent application by Laurantis Pharma Oy (Laurantis) as it pertains to the topical application of pH-adjusted cis-urocanic acid (Cis-UCA), an endogenous small-molecule component of human and animal skin with potent anti-inflammatory activity. Researchers are hailing the discovery as revolutionary as the mechanism could dramatically improve the treatment of inflammation based skin diseases to include, but not limited to, atopic dermatitis, mastitis, and vasculitis.

"Patients deserve better treatment options for these inflammatory skin diseases as they significantly affect the patients' quality of life. We are extraordinarily optimistic about Cis-UCA's potential, and our intent is to bring to market several Cis-UCA based products as quickly as possible," said Riku Rautsola, CEO, Laurantis.

Laurantis currently has three proprietary Cis-UCA based products in clinical development. The Company's lead product, Cis-UCA emulsion cream for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, is currently in the final stages of phase 2 clinical development. Previously, the Company announced completion of a successful phase 1 clinical study with its Cis-UCA eye drops.

About Atopic Dermatitis
Atopic dermatitis, one of the most common skin diseases, is an inflammatory, chronically relapsing, and pruritic skin disorder involving skin barrier dysfunction. Atopic dermatitis, which often begins in childhood, is the result of non-contagious inflammation of both the epidermis and the dermis, with symptoms including itch, erythema, papule, seropapule, vesicle, squames, crusts, and lichenification. According to Datamonitor, nearly 48 million people suffered from atopic dermatitis across the seven major markets in 2007.

About Laurantis
Based in Turku, Finland, Laurantis is a privately held clinical-stage biotechnology company with a broad portfolio of first-in-class products based on two proprietary technologies. The Company's pipeline includes proprietary and patent-protected formulations and applications of cis-urocanic acid, a locally acting anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative agent for the treatment of Atopic Dermatitis, Dry Eye, Interstitial Cystitis, and Bladder Cancer. Laurantis is also developing Lymfactin™, a vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) in an adenoviral vector, for the treatment of secondary lymphedema.