As recent research suggests a 42% rise in eczema during a five year period; could GP's be doing more? GPs are struggling to provide the quality of care for children with eczema currently recommended by two of the UK's most prestigious medical bodies: the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)1 and the Primary Care Dermatology Society/British Association of Dermatologists (PCDS/BAD).

Genentech, Inc. announced a phased voluntary withdrawal of the psoriasis drug Raptiva® (efalizumab) from the U.S. market. The company's decision is based on the association of Raptiva with an increased risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare and usually fatal disease of the central nervous system.

Psoriatic arthritis affects about 11 percent of patients with psoriasis. Anti-tumor necrosis factor α (anti-TNFα) agents, which block signaling molecules that induce inflammation, improve the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. Golimumab is a new human monoclonal antibody that works against TNFα and has been shown to be beneficial within two weeks of the first subcutaneous injection in a phase II rheumatoid arthritis trial.

Serentis, a privately owned biopharmaceutical company, announced today that it has commenced patient recruitment in a Phase II clinical trial for atopic dermatitis (AD), a type of eczema. The Phase II, double-blind, vehicle-controlled study will determine the efficacy, safety and tolerability of SRD441 in patients with AD.