KEMIA INITIATES PHASE I TRIALS FOR ORAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY

Kemia has announced that the company has initiated Phase I clinical trials with KC706, an oral anti-inflammatory.

Phase I clinical safety trials of KC706 are being conducted in healthy human volunteers. Kemia expects the results by the end of the year. KC706 is a novel anti-inflammatory drug that works by inhibiting the activity of p38 MAP kinase. KC706 holds potential to treat inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease and cardiovascular disease. The company plans to conduct Phase IIa trials during 2006 to measure the efficacy of KC706 in the treatment of selected inflammatory diseases.