Edesa Biotech, Inc. announced that it has received approval from Health Canada for a Phase 2 clinical study of the company's EB06 monoclonal antibody candidate as a treatment for vitiligo. Vitiligo is a life-altering autoimmune disease that causes skin to lose its color in patches. While it can affect any area, vitiligo commonly occurs on the face, neck and hands, and is a lifelong condition.

According to the World Health Organization, vitiligo affects approximately 1% of the world's population. Edesa's drug targets autoreactive T cells that destroy the pigment-producing cells of the epidermis. Specifically, EB06 binds to chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) and inhibits the interaction of CXCL10 with its receptor(s).

CXCL10 is highly expressed in vitiligo patients in both skin and serum, and CXCL10 is implicated in both the initiation of the disease and the maintenance of vitiligo lesions. Results from 65 subjects in three previous clinical studies demonstrated that EB06 produced the pharmacodynamic /biological activity required to address the dysfunctional immune response associated with vitiligo, and was generally safe and well tolerated. Preclinical studies have also demonstrated that neutralization of CXCL10 prevented and reversed depigmentation.