Blueberry Therapeutics products

Atopic dermatitis is a chronic, inflammatory disease of the skin affecting up to 20% of children and 3% of adults, with an increasing prevalence in industrialised countries. Atopic dermatitis or atopic eczema is a multifactorial disease and its pathophysiology has been linked to (genetic) modification of skin barrier function, bacterial colonisation and inflammation.

Blueberry has products in the pipeline for the treatment of acne vulgaris and for topical analgesia (pain medication applied directly to the skin). These are also based on our nanodelivery platform technology to enhance the topical delivery of existing active treatments.

Onychomycosis is a disease caused by fungal infection of the nail and is an extremely common disorder worldwide. Onychomycosis is very common; prevalence rates are as high as 23% in Europe, 20% in East Asia and 14% in North America, and are expected to increase further. It becomes more common with increased age and in some patients with conditions such as diabetes and poor peripheral circulation. The fungus that causes onychomycosis (dermatophytes) is usually the same that that causing athlete’s foot. The nails in patients with onychomycosis become thickened, discoloured, disfigured and often split. This can cause physical as well as psychological distress.

Many patients suffering from onychomycosis also have tinea pedis (athlete’s foot), a common contagious fungal infection of the skin of the feet, especially the spaces between the toes. Tinea pedis is an infection of the skin that causes itching, scaling, flaking, and blistering of the interdigital spaces of the foot. The prevalence of tinea pedis increases with age, and estimates suggest that 70% of the population will be affected by tinea pedis at some point in their life. Tinea pedis can currently be treated with oral antifungal medicines (taken by mouth), topical treatments applied directly to the skin, or a combination of both. Topical antifungal agents, many available over the counter, are generally used more frequently and are applied for 1-6 weeks.

Topical treatments for dermatological conditions are often hindered by an inability of the active drug to cross the physical barrier of the skin or nail. To address this problem, our unique drug formulations use a nanopolymer called Nanocin™, which when mixed with the active drug under the right conditions, forms complexes that then aggregate into nanoparticles, enabling enhanced delivery through the skin or nail.