Commentary: Derm asked, pharm acted
By Ted Lain, MD, MBA
Dr. Lain is Chief Medical Officer, Sanova Dermatology, Austin, Texas
The recent approvals of numerous medications for acne greatly expand our therapeutic “toolkit,” proving that pharmaceutical companies are listening to our demands, derived from patient feedback, to develop medications that overcome the efficacy-tolerability tradeoff.
As Dr. Baldwin explains, research and development in acne treatment has not waned or faltered. This is evidenced by:
–Foamix converting minocycline into a stable topical medication delivered at such a high concentration that it may even make the development of antibiotic resistance nearly impossible,
–Galderma developing a novel retinoid molecule, trifarotene, that follows the trend in our specialty toward precisely targeted treatments, in this case the ubiquitous RAR-γ receptor,
–Ortho Dermatologics‘ innovative approach to vehicles, that in the case of its new tazarotene 0.045% lotion, delivers similar efficacy as generic tazarotene 0.1% cream at less than half the concentration and with better tolerability,
–Cassiopeia‘s achievement of bringing to market a new molecule in clascoterone 1.0% cream that uses a new mechanism of action for a topical product, ie, reducing sebum production, and
–Almirall improving our systemic antibiotic options with sarecycline, a novel tetracycline-class antibiotic with a narrow spectrum that effectively bypasses the enteric microbiome, and has very low propensity to cause C. acnes resistance.
I am as enthusiastic as Dr. Baldwin about not only all these new medications, but also the trend toward continued innovation in acne treatment. By enhancing compliance through improved tolerability of topical medications, developing medications with totally new mechanisms of action, and either avoiding systemic antibiotics by delivering the molecule topically or improving our systemic antibiotic options with a molecule having greater selectivity for C. acnes, pharmaceutical companies are providing us with options to better help our patients.
Disclosures
Dr. Lain has been an investigator, consultant, and/or speaker for Almirall, Cassiopeia, Foamix, Galderma, and Ortho Dermatologic.