German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim held ceremonies in Shanghai and Beijing simultaneously on Saturday to announce the launch of the world's first biological agent used to treat generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP), a rare and severe skin disease, in China.

The innovative biological agent signifies a new era in the medical treatment of the disease, which afflicts around 1.4 individuals out of every 100,000 in the country, said medical experts.

GPP is a rare skin disease often characterized by acute onset. Besides reddening of the skin and the emergence of multiple pustules all over the body, patients also develop symptoms like fever, chills, and painful skin lesions. In severe cases, GPP can lead to life-threatening organ failures and complications.

Gu Jun, director of the dermatology department of the Shanghai No 10 People's Hospital Affiliated with Tongji University, said that the signaling pathway of the cytokine IL-36 in human body is closely related to the pathogenesis of the disease. The therapy blocks the inflammatory response produced by IL-36 and inhibits the inflammatory signaling pathway of GPP to achieve rapid clearance of pustules and skin lesions, he explained.

"There was no effective cure for GPP attacks in the world. The innovative therapy has broken the impasse brought by the traditional treatment of the disease," said Gao Xinghua, vice-president and director of the dermatology department of the First Hospital of China Medical University.