Dermagen – an operational unit of Pergamum
Dermagen develops novel treatments for atopic dermatitis and acute external otitis based on the therapeutic peptide DPK-060 which is of endogenous origin.
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a widespread disease in all of the developed pharmaceutical markets, afflicting 10-20% of children and 1–3% of adults. DPK-060 offers a novel approach by effectively target the pathogens which aggravates the immune reaction in AD patients. Unlike other conventional antibiotics, DPK-060 has a low potential to induce resistance, and effectively kills MRSA. These properties allows DPK-060 to be a continuous, long-term treatment for mild and moderate to sever AD. DPK-060 has been tested on AD-patients in a successful clinical phase I/II study.
Acute external otitis (EO) is an inflammatory condition in the external auditory canal during a short period of time. Infection with bacteria is common. The prevalence is about 4% and the incidence for acute EO in out-patients in Europe and North America is around 1%. All ages are affected, with a peak incidence in children aged 5-16 years and a new high plateau in adults aged 35-65 years. With the documented antimicrobial effect of DPK-060 and recognizing that bacteria and fungi are well established in the pathogenesis of acute EO, ear drops containing DPK-060 provides a new treatment choice for patients with acute EO.
Dermagen is based in Lund, Sweden and was formed by leading scientists in dermatology at Lund and Uppsala University. In 2011 the company merged with PharmaSurgics and Lipopeptide to form Pergamum.