LEO Pharma strengthens pipeline with buy of dersimelagon

Danish dermatology specialist LEO Pharma today announces that it has entered into an agreement to acquire worldwide rights to dersimelagon from Japanese drugmaker Tanabe Pharma.

Dersimelagon is an oral, once-daily small MC1R agonist being developed for erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) and X-linked proto porphyria (XLP). EPP and XLP are rare and severe genetic diseases that cause severe sunlight-induced skin damage and can significantly limit patients’ ability to spend time outdoors. Symptoms may include skin rash, swelling, redness, burning sensations and, in some cases, liver damage. Dersimelagon is designed to increase skin melanin, helping reduce sunlight penetration and protect against phototoxic reactions.