Psoriasis is a severe autoimmune disease of the skin that afflicts many people worldwide. Despite the success of recent biologics in ameliorating disease, there is still a search for safe and effective drugs for psoriasis. KV1.3 inhibitors (ShK, PAP-1) have been reported to treat disease in psoriasiform (psoriasis-like) SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency) mouse model. In a Phase 1b placebo-controlled clinical study in patients with plaque psoriasis, ShK-186 administered twice a week (30 or 60 mg/dose/patient) by subcutaneous injection caused improvements with a statistically significant reduction in their PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) score between baseline and day 32. These patients also exhibited reduced plasma levels of multiple inflammation markers and decreased expression of T cell activation markers on peripheral blood memory T cells.
