LEO Pharma Aims To Sell RM500,000 Worth Of Xamiol By Year-End

By Amanina Mohd Yusof

KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 (Bernama) -- LEO Pharma, an independent research-based pharmaceutical company based in Denmark, aims to sell RM500,000 worth of Xamiol, a new treatment option for scalp psoriasis, in Malaysia by year-end.

The company has allocated RM300,000 to promote Xamiol in the medical industry among doctors and general practitioners, country manager for Malaysia Tan Keng Aun told Bernama Tuesday.

Scalp psoriasis afflicts up to two per cent of the total population in Malaysia and its typical signs include raised red patches of skin covered with silvery-white scale and dandruff-like flaking.

Untreated scalp psoriasis commonly appears with paraffin-like silvery-glazed scales and may spread onto the forehead, neck or behind ears.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur Pantai Hospital and Gleneagles Medical Centre's senior consultant dermatologist Dr Steven Chow said scalp psoriasis was a chronic disease.

However, a lot of misinformed patients are delaying seeking appropriate treatment because they are mistaking scalp psoriasis for dandruff.

"A clear and odourless gel Xamiol is the first medication of its kind to be available to the Malaysian patients," he said.

Chow said Xamiol has been clinically proven to start reducing redness, itchiness and scaling from the first week of usage and patients are advised to continue using it for the recommended four weeks to achieve optimum results.

Xamiol, marketed locally by DKSH Malaysia Sdn Bhd, is priced at RM90 for 15 grammes and is available on prescription only.