Topical Minocycline Foam 4%: A Review in Acne Vulgaris

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Disclosure: The preparation of this review was not supported by any external funding.

Conflicts of interest: Julia Paik is a salaried employee of Adis/Springer, is responsible for the article content and declares no relevant conflicts of interest.

Additional information about this Adis Drug Review can be found here

Abstract

Topical minocycline foam 4% (Amzeeq^™) is approved in the USA for the treatment of inflammatory lesions of non-nodular, moderate to severe acne vulgaris (acne) in patients aged ≥ 9 years. It was developed to minimize systemic minocycline absorption and toxicity, and its high lipid content allows efficient drug movement through sebum and into affected sites. The favorable in vitro resistance profile of oral minocycline seen in Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) isolates was maintained with topical minocycline foam 4%. In 12-week, phase III clinical trials, once-daily topical minocycline foam 4% significantly improved both inflammatory and noninflammatory lesions relative to foam vehicle in patients aged ≥ 9 years with moderate to severe acne and was reported by most patients to be satisfactory or highly satisfactory to use. Extension trial data indicated that topical minocycline foam 4% continued to be effective for up to 52 weeks’ therapy. Topical minocycline foam 4% was generally well tolerated in these patients, with most adverse events (AEs) and all serious AEs considered to be unrelated to treatment. Cutaneous AEs were uncommon, and findings from a dermal safety study showed that topical minocycline foam 4% did not have any effects related to phototoxicity, photoallergy, skin sensitization and skin irritation. Topical minocycline foam 4% is thus a useful addition to available treatment options for the management of inflammatory lesions of non-nodular, moderate to severe acne in adult and pediatric patients aged ≥ 9 years.

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