Novel Drug Works for Photosensitivity
The synthetic hormone analogue, afamelanotide, appears to be safe and efficacious in the treatment of erythropoietic protoporphyria - the rare condition whose sufferers become people of the night. Afamelanotide had an acceptable side-effect and adverse-event profile and improved the quality of life for patients with this severe photodermatitis, allowing them to tolerate more sun exposure without pain due to phototoxicity, said Robert J. Desnick, PhD, MD, of the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine. He and his colleagues reported the results in two studies just published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
-Robert Desnick, MD, PhD, Professor, Pediatrics, Oncological Sciences, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Dean, Genetics and Genomic Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
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