Kindred Biosciences launches pilot study of skin treatments for dogs

Pet-drug developer Kindred Biosciences ($KIN) is launching a pilot field study to test molecules in dogs with atopic dermatitis, bolstering its commitment to R&D even after an early failure in the field.

The multi-center pilot study will look at the safety and efficacy of several molecules, including anti-cytokine antibodies, to treat eczema in canines. The trial will also determine whether or not those candidates should be developed further, the San Francisco-based company said in a statement.

Kindred also announced that it recently completed the first stage of a pilot field study of biologics in sick or septic foals. The anti-TNF treatment met its primary endpoint in the study with all 5 foals enrolled surviving to day 7.

“We are very pleased to be making rapid progress in our biologics programs and we are excited about our burgeoning pipeline for atopic dermatitis. We are also encouraged by the 100% survival data in foals in a condition that can often result in 50% mortality,” Kindred CEO Richard Chin said in a statement.

The new atopic dermatitis study in dogs comes more than a year after Kindred said that it would stop developing its experimental atopic dermatitis drug, AtoKin. The “rapid uptake and success” of a rival product from Dechra Pharmaceuticals prompted the company to shift gears and focus on the rest of its pipeline, it said in December 2014.

Since then, Kindred forged ahead with other research programs. In November 2015, the company announced that its KIND-012 treatment met its primary endpoint by reducing pyrexia (fever) in horses. The company plans to submit the data to the FDA for approval of the drug.

Last month, Kindred revealed positive topline results from a pivotal field study of KIND-010, a transdermal gel that helps stave off weight loss in cats. The drug helped cats gain weight and was well tolerated.

“We are very pleased to advance this drug closer to approval,” Chin said at the time. “The pivotal study was completed on budget and ahead of schedule, underscoring our ability to develop therapeutics that improve the lives of companion animals quickly and in a cost-efficient manner. We look forward to continuing to build on our successes.”

- read the statement

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