Use of berdazimer gel seems efficacious and safe for treatment of molluscum contagiosum (MC), according to a study published online July 13 in JAMA Dermatology .

John C. Browning, M.D., from Texas Dermatology and Laser Specialists in San Antonio, and colleagues conducted a phase 3 randomized clinical trial in 55 clinics in the United States to examine the efficacy and safety of berdazimer gel, 10.3 percent, for treatment of MC. Eligible participants, aged 6 months or older and with three to 70 raised MC lesions, were randomly assigned to either berdazimer gel or vehicle gel (444 and 447 participants, respectively), applied to all lesions as a thin layer once daily for 12 weeks.

The researchers found that at week 12, 32.4 and 19.7 percent of patients in the berdazimer and vehicle groups, respectively, achieved complete clearance of MC lesions (odds ratio, 2.0), with 14.4 and 8.9 percent of those receiving berdazimer and vehicle, respectively, discontinuing treatment due to MC clearance. Application-site pain and erythema were the most common adverse events and were mostly mild in severity. Overall, 4.1 and 0.7 percent of patients in the berdazimer and vehicle groups, respectively, had adverse events leading to discontinuation.

"Berdazimer is under consideration as a first-in-class therapeutic agent for MC and may provide a topical prescription alternative to other therapies used for this highly contagious and psychosocially challenging skin condition," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to Novan, which manufactures berdazimer and funded the study.

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