Spot on treatment for acne

Acne Treatment Drug

A previously unknown side effect of an unnamed drug currently on the marketplace could be useful for treating acne, reports Chemistry & Industry, the magazine of the SCI. A UK company is about to start a Phase 1 trial with the drug involving 18 healthy human volunteers and the results are expected to be announced later this year. In an earlier Phase 1 study in nine healthy human volunteers, the treatment was seen to reduce the excretion of sebum by the skin, which is associated with acne development, by up to 70%.

'The Phase I results are startlingly good,' said Nigel Blackburn, director of clinical development at the company, Summit, which is organising the trial. 'Reducing sebum production has been the "holy grail" of acne treatment for 30 years, and there has been little success aside from Roaccutane which has significant side effects.'

The current 'gold standard' for acne treatment, Roaccutane can cause a wide range of side effects, including teratogenicity

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