Sydney-based biopharma Apollo Life Sciences (ASX:AOP) said no significant adverse side-effects were detected in a phase Ib trial of its topical psoriasis cream, developed from human-expressed protein.

CRO Datapharm Australia will now process data from the trial, Apollo said.

The active component in Apollo's topical cream belongs to the class of drug known as TNF blockers which have been shown to reduce inflammation and are widely regarded as safe drugs when used with patients suffering elevated levels of TNF.

The trial, conducted by CMAX at Royal Adelaide Hospital, started in October 2005. Healthy subjects and patients with mild to moderate chronic plaque type psoriasis received a single application of the cream in the first two stages of the trial. The third stage, which involved nine application of the cream to patients over a 21-day period, was a randomised double blind, placebo controlled study.