Strong Ph IIa efficacy data for Anacor's AN0128

Anacor Pharmaceuticals, a privately-held US drugmaker, has reported promising data from a Phase IIa study of AN0128, its novel topical anti-inflammatory drug candidate for atopic dermatitis, a disease affecting approximately 15 million US citizens.

The multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled study enrolled 103 subjects with mild-to-moderate disease at eight clinical centers. At the end of the four-week treatment period, the study demonstrated that 47% of those with moderate atopic dermatitis treated with AN0128 exhibited at least a two-grade improvement, as measured by the investigator static global assessment scale, and were judged by investigators to be "clear" or "almost clear" of disease. 29% of patients on the vehicle cream reached the same endpoint. AN0128 was well tolerated at the site of application, Anacor noted.