AbobotulinumtoxinA safe, effective in hyperhidrosis

Findings from a meta-analysis showed that abobotulinumtoxinA was safe and effective, with high patient satisfaction, in individuals with hyperhidrosis.

“The aim of this systematic literature review was to assess the evidence regarding treatment approaches, efficacy, safety and patient-reported outcomes relating to [abobotulinumtoxinA] treatment of hyperhidrosis,” Hassan Galadari, MD, of the College of Medicine and Health Sciences at United Arab Emirates University, and colleagues wrote.

The researchers conducted a search of EMBASE, MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library databases for a number of data types, including observational analyses, bibliographies of review articles, recent congressional proceedings and both randomized and non-randomized controlled trials. All studies, regardless of time or location, were eligible.

The search yielded 191 unique articles overall. The final analysis included 23 data sets, of which there were 10 each of randomized and non-randomized controlled trials, along with three observational studies.

Thirteen of the articles dealt with axillary hyperhidrosis, while seven were palmar, one was on the forehead, one for compensatory hyperhidrosis of the back, one for Frey syndrome and one for diabetic gustatory sweating.

Results showed that all eligible studies reported a reduction in sweating associated with abobotulinumtoxinA (Dysport, Ipsen), an injectable neuro-muscular blocker. The drug required a mean or median duration of 3 to 10 months to take effect. Clinicians observed these reductions at 3- or 4-week follow-up visits.

Safety data were available for seven of the studies. No serious adverse events were reported.

Among three studies that included patient-reported outcomes, two showed high satisfaction, while the other reported high quality of life results in patients treated for palmar hyperhidrosis with the study drug.

The researchers noted variability in injection techniques as a possible limitation of the applicability of the data set. “This study describes a range of treatment approaches and demonstrates positive outcomes of [abobotulinumtoxinA] treatment for multiple types of hyperhidrosis,” the researchers wrote.