RXi Pharmaceuticals begins phase 2 trial for cutaneous warts treatment

RXi Pharmaceuticals Corp. announced in a press release that it has initiated a phase 2 clinical trial of Samcyprone to treat cutaneous warts.

Samcyprone is a proprietary topical formulation of diphenylcyclopropenone (DPCP), an immunomodulator that initiates a T-cell response, according to the release.

“We are very pleased to be advancing our propriety topical formulation of DPCP, Samcyprone, into a phase 2 clinical trial,” Geert Cauwenbergh, DMSc, president and CEO of RXi Pharmaceuticals, stated in the release. “We look forward to providing clinical data from all our ongoing clinical trials over the course of 2016.”

Patients with at least one cutaneous plantar or periungal wart present for at least 4 weeks will be included in the multicenter, multidose trial. Patients will be treated with a sensitization dose on the inner arm and on one wart lesion. Weekly treatments will continue for 10 weeks once sensitization response is confirmed, according to the release. Investigator’s Global Assessment Score will be used to evaluate wart measurements during the treatment period.

Cutaneous warts are caused by the HPV and are extremely common. Low success rates, prolonged duration of therapy and potential for recurrence complicate treatment of the warts, which includes physical or chemical destruction and immunomodulation, according to the release.

The DPCP formulation was found to be safe and have had a statistically significant beneficial effect compared to placebo as a wart treatment in a small proof-of-concept trial, the release reported.

Reference: www.rxipharma.com