Clinuvel Starts Skin Cancer Trials

Australian drugmaker Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals has begun Phase II trials for CUV1647 as a preventive for sun damage and actinic keratosis.

The trial will evaluate the drug’s ability to reduce the incidence of actinic keratosis and irreversible skin damage in fair-skinned, immune-compromised organ transplant recipients. Fair-skinned organ transplant recipients are 65–100 times more likely to contract skin cancers because of the side effects of immune suppressive drugs, Clinuvel said.

CUV1647 stimulates the natural production of melanin and is delivered through a subcutaneous implant every two months. Approximately 150 patients in Australia and Europe will participate in the trial, which will take roughly two years.

More than 300 patients have been treated with CUV1647, and the drug has been shown to have a good safety profile.