Winnie Harlow isn’t just a model. She’s a trailblazer, breaking barriers and crushing beauty standards as the first supermodel with vitiligo. The depigmentation disorder of the skin results in progressive loss of epidermal melanocytes (the cells that pigment the skin). Winnie’s unique look has seen her grace the covers of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, as well as the Victoria’s Secret runway and a Beyonce music video.
Whilst Winnie is working to change the face of fashion to be more accepting, vitiligo sufferers are still without treatment or cure. The disorder can seriously affect an individual’s sense of identity, resulting in psychosocial distress. The FDA have vowed to take these things into account in new drug evaluations after hosting a patient-focussed vitiligo meeting in March last year to hear testimonies of the impact the disorder has on patients and their quality of life.
Specialty pharmaceutical group Clinuvel (ASX: CUV) is developing a treatment for vitiligo using their lead asset, afamelanotide as a monotherapy. The Company is set to begin treatment of vitiligo patients with darker complexions (Fitzpatrick Skin Types IV-VI) with the drug in a new Phase 2 study named CUV104.
The study will be conducted at a North American vitiligo expert treatment centre where six patients will receive the drug for six months.
“We are thrilled to start this study, as we have seen the efficacy of afamelanotide in earlier studies and now we are anxious to learn the effect of the drug as a monotherapy,” said Director of North-American Operations, Dr Linda Teng. “Visible and beneficial effects from the drug as a single therapy would be a leap forward for these patients, as our hormonal solution would be the most biological answer to a stigmatising disorder.”
Earlier studies revealed that afamelanotide, when used in combination with ultraviolet light therapy, can assist with rapid, deep repigmentation of the skin. The current treatment standard for vitiligo patients is ultraviolet therapy as a monotherapy, however results vary vastly.
The CUV104 study is aiming to repigment lesions on the face- the most distinct body part, according to vitiligo patients.
Dr Teng said: “We have fundamentally supported the concept of providing an effective therapy acting through the bloodstream reaching all melanocytes, as opposed to localised or topical therapy that requires frequent applications for patients. In scientific discussions over the years, we have received positive encouragement both from expert physicians and regulatory authorities to use our lead hormone analogue in vitiligo. Part of the novelty of our approach lies in the treatment of patients who suffer from the psychosocial impact due to loss of their distinct skin colour.”
Dosing of the first patient in the CUV104 study is expected to commence soon. The Company is currently conducting trials across a variety of disorders, buffered by a cash balance of over $100 million, a figure which they provided in a quarterly cashflow report as a courtesy to investors, despite not being beholden to ASX listing rules to publish these.
Samantha Freidin is a business journalist at Emerald Financial whilst also completing a Masters of Marketing and Digital Communications at Monash University.
Latest posts by Samantha Freidin (see all)
- Parkinson’s UK backs Pharmaxis with $5 million to slow the onset of incurable disease with ‘ground breaking’ trial - September 1, 2022
- How this company is developing medtech to support Indigenous community health - August 22, 2022
- A round of ap-paws for PharmAust, changing the ruff prognosis for dogs with lymphoma - August 17, 2022
Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.