Phase III Confirmatory Study in Erythropoietic Protoporphyria

Afamelanotide is a man-made drug being studied for use as a preventative medication for Erythropoietic Protoporphyria (EPP) sufferers. It is a synthetically produced analogue of human alpha melanocyte stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) and is available in Europe. The purpose of this study is to look at the type and duration of sun exposure when patients are exposed to light. This study will also look at how the drug is tolerated when taken by people with EPP. The study will involve the use of an implant, which comes in the form of a small rod to be administered under the skin. The implant may contain the study drug afamelanotide or a placebo (inactive medication). Over 620 subjects have been treated with afamelanotide to date with no serious safety concerns identified. For this study, afamelanotide has been formulated as a controlled release depot injection (implant). This means that the afamelanotide will be released slowly into the body over a few days. This study aims to confirm the photoprotective properties if afamelanotide demonstrated in the earlier Phase II and phase III studies.