( BASEL Switzerland May 21 2007 - Res...)Efficacy and Safety Profile of Basilea's Alitretinoin for Severe,Refractory Chronic Hand Eczema Confirmed by Data Shown at European,Dermatology Congress,Health

BASEL, Switzerland, May 21, 2007 - Results from phase III clinical trials and further human pharmacology studies were presented at the 16th Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV). These data highlighted the efficacy and safety profile of alitretinoin as a potential once daily oral treatment for patients with severe refractory chronic hand eczema.

Currently, no approved treatment exists for severe Chronic Hand Eczema (CHE) refractory or unresponsive to topical therapy. This debilitating disease can cause significant pain and functional impairment of the hands as well as considerable psychological, social and occupational impact on patients' lives. The data presented at this meeting will form part of the regulatory submissions later this year and show the potential for alitretinoin to become the first product available to treat an estimated one million patients in North America and Europe.

Eight posters on alitretinoin presented in the main conference and four oral presentations in a company sponsored satellite symposium highlighted alitretinoin as a potential treatment for severe refractory CHE.

Positive efficacy and safety data on alitretinoin were reported in posters from the pivotal BACH trial (poster number 275), the re-treatment study (280) and an open-label safety study (281). Five further posters covered aspects of the pharmacology of alitretinoin (286, 287, 288, 289 and 290).

Previously reported results for the phase III BACH study (275) confirm the efficacy and tolerability of oral alitretinoin for the treatment of CHE in patients refractory to topical corticosteroids. Once daily alitretinoin resulted in response of 48% of the patients who were treated with 30mg per day for up to six months. Response rate and time to response were dose dependent with a faster response seen with the higher dose. Alitretinoin was generally well tolerated in these
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