Drug for Psoriasis

Currently, the best treatments for skin lesions associated with psoriasis are common topical steroids.

The drug used to reduce the harmful side effects of the autoimmune disease lupus may also be useful in treating psoriasis,which is an associated form of arthritis, a life long genetic problem that effects skin and joints.

According to a study published online in the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, a compound called benzodiazepine-423 (Bz-423), suppressed cell growth in a model of psoriasis in which cells multiply unchecked, thus helping in control the disease.

"Currently, the best treatments for skin lesions associated with psoriasis are topical steroids, but the problem with those drugs is that they're not selective for the disease-causing cells. They affect normal cells as well, and repeated use over time can lead to tissue destruction.

"What makes our compound particularly exciting is that it has the potential to be applied topically, and it shows very good selectivity for models of the disease-causing cells versus normal cells," the study quoted Gary Glick as saying. Glick is the Werner E. Bachmann Collegiate Professor of Chemistry and a professor of biological chemistry in the U-M Medical School.