March 28 (Reuters) - Incyte ( INCY ) said on Saturday

its experimental skin disease drug showed long-term reduction of

symptoms in two late-stage trials.

The company tested the drug, povorcitinib, in patients with

moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa, a chronic skin

disease that causes painful lumps, abscesses and scarring,

usually in areas where skin rubs together like the armpits or

groin.

The new data, presented at a medical meeting, showed that

after 54 weeks of treatment, up to 71.4% of patients taking the

drug achieved at least 50% reduction in abscesses and inflamed

skin bumps in the trials.

The studies also showed that up to 57% of patients achieved

major symptom reduction and up to 29% achieved complete

clearance of key skin lesions.

Povorcitinib is a once-daily pill that works by blocking

JAK1, a protein involved in the inflammation that leads to

painful abscesses and nodules.

Treatment options for the condition are limited and are

mainly injectable drugs.

There are currently three FDA-approved treatments for the

condition: AbbVie's ( ABBV ) Humira, Novartis' Cosentyx

and UCB's Bimzelx.

The most frequent side effects were acne, nasopharyngitis

and upper respiratory tract infections, Incyte ( INCY ) said.

Hidradenitis suppurativa affects about 1% to 4% of people in

the United States and has a higher impact on people from racial

and ethnic minority groups, according to the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration.

Incyte ( INCY ) said applications seeking approval of povorcitinib

are currently under review by the FDA and the European Medicines

Agency.