A novel nitric oxide-releasing gel that leads to high lesion clearance rates in patients with molluscum contagiosum could be a safer alternative to in-office treatments, a pivotal trial suggests.

US doctors report that a third of kids and adults treated with berdazimer 10.3% achieved complete lesion clearance at three months compared with one in five who were given vehicle gel.

Furthermore, a 27% reduction in average lesion count after four weeks “would likely be perceived by patients and caregivers as meaningful” and encourage them to maintain compliance, the researchers said.

In the Novan-funded phase 3 trial, investigators assigned 890 patients aged six months or older with 3-70 raised molluscum contagiosum (MC) lesions to once-daily berdazimer or vehicle gel for 12 weeks.