Connetics Corporation-a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on dermatology, announced that it has acquired exclusive US rights to Roche's Soriatane-brand (acitretin), an approved oral therapy for the treatment of severe psoriasis in adults. On February 6, 2004, Connetics announced its intent to purchase Soriatane from Roche for $123 million in cash. Soriatane is a once-daily oral medication, available in 10 mg and 25 mg capsules, for initial and maintenance treatment of severe psoriasis in adults.

"Soriatane is a proven therapy, which has been studied in five types of psoriasis, and has an extensive record of clinical use in more than one million patients worldwide. Soriatane prescriptions grew in 2003 and US net sales for the product were approximately $41 million," said Thomas Wiggans, CEO of Connetics. "We are ready to pursue a comprehensive campaign for Soriatane, which will serve to further grow the brand."

"Connetics enjoys excellent relationships with the US dermatology community. Over 80 per cent of the Soriatane prescriptions are written by dermatologists, and we are highly confident in our sales force's ability to convey the established value of this treatment and compete effectively in the psoriasis market. While we will begin recognizing Soriatane revenue immediately, we soon will be training our sales force and promoting this product to our dermatology customers," added Wiggans.

Clinical efficacy studies showed that 76per cent of patients taking Soriatane showed statistically significant improvement in as little as 8 weeks. At six months, 40per cent of patients experienced complete or almost complete clearing of their psoriasis; at 12 months, patients continued to experience statistically significant improvement in symptoms. In published literature, patients treated with Soriatane had PASI 50 scores of 85per cent and PASI 75 scores of 52per cent, both at 12 weeks. Further, 59per cent of Soriatane patients were relapse free at six months, and at 12 months Soriatane patients had PASI 75 scores of 78per cent.

Since Soriatane is neither immunosuppressive nor cytotoxic, it can be used without the risk of reducing resistance to common infections. Soriatane is significantly less expensive than the newer biologics for treating psoriasis.

The product has been on the market for six years and the safety profile is well established. As with all oral retinoids, there are serious side effects associated with Soriatane

Psoriasis, which includes plaque, erythrodermic, pustular, guttate, and palmar-plantar types, affects approximately 4.5 million adults in the United States. It is an immune-mediated, genetic disease manifesting in the skin and/or the joints and impacts a person's psychological well-being and social functioning, as well as his or her physical functioning. Approximately 1.5 million sufferers are categorized as moderate to severe patients. Psoriasis can be limited to a few spots or involve extensive areas of the body, appearing most commonly on the scalp, knees, elbows and trunk. Although it can be highly visible, psoriasis is not a contagious disease. While there are a number of medications that may help control the symptoms of psoriasis, there is currently no cure.