Phytopharm optimistic after
atopic dermatitis trial

PHYTOPHARM plc has announced the results of a randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled study of "P7", its novel, patented botanical product for the treatment of canine atopic dermatitis (perennial canine eczema).

Forty-seven dogs with atopic dermatitis (confirmed by positive skin allergy tests) were entered into the study, which was conducted at the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Minnesota, USA. Twenty-four dogs were randomly allocated to receive daily treatment with P7 and 23 dogs received placebo (inactive) therapy for up to eight weeks.

The veterinary surgeon and the owners were not aware of the treatment allocation. The outcome measures included changes in skin erythema (redness), severity of pruritis (scratching) and the owners' overall assessment of response. These indices were analysed for statistical significance using non-parametric two group comparisons.

The owners reported that 38 percent of the dogs were improved or markedly improved after being treated with P7 compared to only 13 percent of those treated with the placebo. There was also a notable reduction in the extent of erythema and scratching in the dogs that received P7. Furthermore, 57 percent of the dogs in the placebo group were withdrawn from treatment due to worsening of their condition compared with only 25 percent of the dogs in the P7 group, which is a highly significant result. The treatment was generally well tolerated with no serious adverse events recorded.

There are approximately 100 million dogs in the US with similar numbers in Europe and Japan. This number gives rise to a global market for health and nutrition products used by dogs and cats of $2.21 billion (Vivash-Jones Consultants-1999). As a condition, atopic dermatitis is more common in dogs than cats and estimates put the percentage of the canine population affected by the condition at as much as 15 percent (source: Animal Pharm 1998).

Commenting on the results, Professor S Torres (Head of Dermatology, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Minnesota) said: "Canine atopic dermatitis is a common and clinically significant problem. The only highly effective treatments currently available are associated with a lot of unwanted side effects. This important study indicates that Phytopharm's product P7 shows great potential for the management of this condition".

Dr Richard Dixey, Chief Executive added: "This is a very encouraging result which supports the use of P7 for the treatment of this canine disease. Discussions are in progress with a number of potential licensees concerning the next steps in the commercialisation of this exciting product."

Inquiries, phone 0207 831 3113 (David Yates or Sophie Pender-Cudlip).