Evotec AG and Almirall SA have entered a multitarget drug discovery alliance focused on severe skin disease, from which Evotec could earn up to €230 million (US$243.5 million) in per-program milestones. It is also receiving an undisclosed up-front payment, research funding and, should any products reach the market, it would also bank sales royalties in the high-single-digit percentage range.

UCB SA’s share price slumped after the U.S. FDA rejected the pharma’s filing for psoriasis drug Bimzelx (bimekizumab), citing issues with “inspection observations” that must be resolved before approval. Shares in Brussels-based UCB (Brussels:UCB) fell 13.6% following the announcement that the FDA had rejected Bimzelx for treatment of adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

Toosonix A/S has launched two trials as it moves to gather data enabling its high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) device to get approval for use in clinical dermatology indications. The company reported on April 19 that the first patients have been treated in a trial of its System One-M device in treating basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Meanwhile, the first patient has been cleared for treatment on April 28 in a study in neurofibromatosis, an inherited condition that causes benign tumors to form on the skin.