Benzinga | Nov 4, 2021 09:09AM EDT

VYNE Therapeutics Announces BET Inhibitor, VYN201, Demonstrates Improvement In Reducing Fibrotic Tissue Mass And Overall Skin Repair Outcomes In Preclinical Study

VYNE Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:VYNE) ("VYNE" or the "Company") today announced preclinical data from a validated animal study showing that its bromodomain and extra-terminal ("BET") inhibitor, VYN201, demonstrated improvements in reducing fibrotic tissue mass and overall skin repair outcomes with no negative impact on healing time.

VYNE is evaluating its lead BET inhibitor, VYN201, for several autoimmune skin diseases that are characterized by lesions, such as chronic ulcers and blisters, which are challenging to treat and can potentially lead to severe infections and surgical intervention. Frequently used treatments for neutrophilic dermatoses are known to significantly delay the healing of lesions1 and, in this context, VYNE conducted a validated preclinical study to evaluate the effect of VYN201 on skin healing and repair.

In the preclinical study, duplicate identical skin incisions were induced on the flanks of hairless mice under anesthesia. The animals were topically dosed once daily with either 100mg VYN201 vehicle, VYN201 1%, or a hydroalcoholic gel (a negative control known to delay healing) until each lesion had completely healed.

Key findings from the study:

* As early as treatment day 5, and consistent with the vehicle control, animals treated with VYN201 1% had a statistically significant decrease (improvement) in global external lesion severity score, a comprehensive evaluation of length, width, swelling and visibility of lesions, compared to those treated with hydroalcoholic gel.

* Consistent with the vehicle control, lesions treated with VYN201 1% completely healed (mean time to heal: 15.5 days) approximately 5 days earlier compared to those treated with hydroalcoholic gel (mean time to heal: 21 days).

* Animals treated with VYN201 1% had a significantly lower global internal lesion severity score than those treated with VYN201 vehicle or hydroalcoholic gel, indicative of an improved internal lesion outcome and a positive effect on reducing the formation of fibrotic tissue mass in the lesion bed.

* By the end of treatment, healed lesions treated with VYN201 1% appeared less visually distinct and more macular in nature with an improved overall aesthetic outcome compared to the other treatments.

* VYN201 vehicle and VYN201 1% appeared to be well-tolerated both within the lesion sites, based on the absence of irritation, and in general throughout the treatment period.

"We were pleased to learn from this study that VYN201 does not appear to delay skin healing time during treatment or negatively influence skin repair mechanisms," said Dr. Iain Stuart, Chief Scientific Officer of VYNE. "An additional encouraging outcome from this study was that VYN201 1% treatment, when compared to controls, resulted in less fibrotic tissue being formed in the lesion bed, making the scar much flatter, resulting in an improved overall scar appearance. These findings support the continued progression of this development program, and we look forward to providing additional updates in the future."