FDA APPROVES CONNETICS' FOAM FOR ATOPIC DERMATITIS

Connetics announced that the FDA has approved Verdeso (desonide) Foam, 0.05 percent, for the treatment of mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis. Verdeso, previously referred to as Desilux, is a low-potency topical steroid and is the first approved product formulated in Connetics' proprietary VersaFoam-EF emulsion formulation foam vehicle. The company says it expects to begin marketing Verdeso to physicians in the fourth quarter of 2006 in 50- and 100-gram trade unit sizes.

"We look forward to commercializing the first product in our patented emulsion foam vehicle, formulated with emollient ingredients, and our first product approved for pediatric use. The low-potency corticosteroid desonide in VersaFoam-EF has been shown in our clinical trials to be safe and effective in children as young as three months of age," said Lincoln Krochmal, executive vice president of research and product development.

The approval of Verdeso expands the Connetics' topical steroid franchise to include a product offering in each of the three potency segments of the total $1.1 billion topical steroid market, according to the company.