Dr. Reddy labs, University of Hyderabad (UoH) combined

Hyderabad, May 24: The University of Hyderabad (UoH), Dr. Reddys Laboratories (DRL) and have combined to initiate a project on discovery and development of anti-psoriatic drugs here on Tuesday.

The three entities today signed an agreement in this regard.

"An agreement has been signed between the Department of Science and Technology (DST), DRL, UoH and Dr. Reddys Institute of Life Sciences (DRILS) to initiate a project for discovery and development of drugs against psoriasis," a release from UoH said here.

The venture, valued at Rs 1.90 crore, has been sponsored by DST and DRL, it said. Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease which is characterized by patches of abnormal skin

The market size for drugs for psoriasis and other skin disorders is currently about USD 6-7 billion and expected to reach about USD 13 billion in a span of 10 years, it said.

Most approved therapies for psoriasis are symptomatic. The specific disease-modifying therapies include monoclonal antibodies, which are expensive and have safety and tolerability issues, the release said.

The project proposes development of selective inhibitors of 12R-LOX (a type of enzyme) by employing conventional as well as the molecular modelling and drug design approaches, the release said