Eldre artikkel om visonac
Her er det Edison skriver om Visonac:
Visonac: Clearing things up
Visonac is a photodynamic therapy for moderate to severe inflammatory acne. It is a cream that contains methyl aminolevulinate (MAL) as its active ingredient, which is the same active ingredient as that of Metvix, Photocure’s first approved product for skin cancers, which was divested to Galderma (now part of Nestlé) in 2009 for €51m. It works by killing the bacteria P. acnes and decreasing sebum (oil) production.Acne is a very common skin condition that has near-universal prevalence during teenage years. Approximately 95–100% of boys and 83–85% of girls aged 16–17 years old are affected by the condition, with 10–20% having the moderate to severe form. In total, there are an estimated 40–50 million Americans of all age groups who suffer from the condition.Approximately half of those are between the ages of 15 and 24, and if 10–20% have moderate to severe acne it would mean a prevalence of around 2–2.5 million moderate to severe patients.
There are quite a few types of treatment for acne, which include over-the-counter medications (salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide and vitamin A) and prescription medications (topical or oral antibiotics and hormonal therapy for women). Treatments generally work by reducing oil production, unblocking pores and/or killing acne-causing bacteria. More severe forms of acne are often treated with Accutane (isotretinoin) or oral antibiotics such as Solodyn (minocycline). Unfortunately, neither is 100% effective, with approximately 50% of patients failing treatment according to a market research study conducted by the company. On the safety side, Accutane in particular is considered to be rather toxic, and is associated with birth defects and liver abnormalities.
Visonac therapy consists of applying the cream to the face and allowing it to be absorbed by the skin and bacteria in the pustules for 90 minutes. The cream is then washed off and the face is exposed to red light for 10 minutes. This process is then repeated an additional three times over the next six weeks. In a 153-patient Phase IIb trial, Visonac demonstrated efficacy that was comparable to and possibly slightly better than Solodyn (see Exhibit 8), which in 2011 had sales of $761m in the US. There were no serious adverse events, but 12% of those in the treatment arm (compared to 0% in the placebo arm) dropped out of the trial due to adverse events, mainly burning/pain during illumination, which was an issue seen with Metvix and other MAL studies over the years.