SummaryBackgroundTopical ionic contraviral therapy (ICVT) with digoxin and furosemide inhibits the potassium influx on which DNA viruses rely for replication. Therefore, ICVT was hypothesized to be a potential novel treatment for cutaneous warts.ObjectivesTo assess the clinical efficacy, safety and tolerability of ICVT in adults with cutaneous warts. The secondary objective was to gain insight into the underlying working mechanism of ICVT.MethodsTreatment with ICVT was assessed for efficacy, safety and tolerability in a single‐ centre, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled phase IIA trial. Eighty adult patients with at least two cutaneous warts (plantar or common) were randomized to one of four treatments: digoxin + furosemide (0·125%), digoxin (0·125%), furosemide (0·125%) or placebo. The gel was administered once daily for 42 consecutive days. Predefined statistical analysis was performed with a mixed‐model ancova. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with number NCT02333643.ResultsWart size and human papillomavirus (HPV) load reduction was achieved in all active treatment groups. A statistically significant reduction in wart diameter of all treated warts was shown in the digoxin + furosemide treatment group vs. placebo (−3·0 mm, 95% confidence interval −4·9 to −1·1, P = 0·002). There was a statistically significant reduction in the HPV load of all treated warts in the digoxin + furosemide group vs. placebo (−94%, 95% confidence interval −100 to −19, P = 0·03). With wart size reduction, histologically and immunohistochemically defined viral characteristics disappeared from partial and total responding warts.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates the proof of concept for the efficacy of topical ICVT in adults with cutaneous warts.

AimsTo explore the potential of the skin microbiome as biomarker in six dermatological conditions: atopic dermatitis (AD), acne vulgaris (AV), psoriasis vulgaris (PV), hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), seborrhoeic dermatitis/pityriasis capitis (SD/PC) and ulcus cruris (UC).MethodsA systematic literature review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. Two investigators independently reviewed the included studies and ranked the suitability microbiome implementation for early phase clinical studies in an adapted GRADE method.ResultsIn total, 841 papers were identified and after screening of titles and abstracts for eligibility we identified 42 manuscripts that could be included in the review. Eleven studies were included for AD, five for AV, 10 for PV, two for HS, four for SD and 10 for UC. For AD and AV, multiple studies report the relationship between the skin microbiome, disease severity and clinical response to treatment. This is currently lacking for the remaining conditions.ConclusionFor two indications – AD and AV – there is preliminary evidence to support implementation of the skin microbiome as biomarkers in early phase clinical trials. For PV, UC, SD and HS there is insufficient evidence from the literature. More microbiome‐directed prospective studies studying the effect of current treatments on the microbiome with special attention for patient meta‐data, sampling methods and analysis methods are needed to draw more substantial conclusions.

Imiquimod (IMQ) is often used as a topical challenge agent to provoke local skin inflammation. The objective of this study was to develop and refine a rapid, temporary, and reversible human skin inflammation model with IMQ for application in clinical drug development. A randomized, vehicle‐controlled, open‐label, dose‐ranging study was conducted in 16 healthy male subjects. IMQ (5 mg) was applied once daily for 72 hours under occlusion to intact skin (n = 8) or tape stripped (TS) skin (n = 8). Although IMQ alone induced limited effects, TS+IMQ treatment showed larger responses in several domains, including erythema and perfusion (P < 0.0001), mRNA expression of inflammatory markers (P < 0.01), and inflammatory cell influx compared with vehicle. In conclusion, a rapid, human IMQ skin inflammation challenge model was successfully developed with a clear benefit of TS prior to IMQ application. Future interaction studies will enable proof‐of‐pharmacology of novel compounds targeting the innate immune system.

Background Assessment of treatment effects in clinical trials requires valid information on treatment adherence, adverse events and symptoms. Paper‐based diaries are often inconvenient and have limited reliability, particularly for outpatient trials. Objectives To investigate the utility of an electronic diary (e‐diary) application for patients with skin diseases in outpatient clinical trials. Methods An e‐diary application was developed and technically validated. Treatment adherence was defined as topical administration by the patient, and patient‐reported outcomes, i.e. pain and itch, were evaluated by the e‐diary in six clinical trials on newly tested topical drugs. Additionally, the proportion of patients capturing the applied topical drug by camera and filling in the pain and itch scores was defined as e‐diary adherence, and patients’ perception of usefulness and acceptability of the e‐diary were evaluated. Results Treatment adherence rates of the included 256 patients were high (median 98%, range 97–99%). E‐diary adherence was also high with a median of 93% (range 87–97%) for capturing the applied drug by camera, and 89% (range 87–96%) and 94% (range 87–96%) for entering respectively the itch and pain score. Daily symptom scores provided good insights into the disease burden, and patients rated the e‐diary as good to excellent with respect to user acceptability. Conclusions The results suggest that the e‐diary is an excellent way to ensure proper treatment administration, indicated by both the high user acceptability scores and high treatment adherence. Moreover, the e‐diary may also be valuable for frequent and reliable monitoring of patient‐reported outcomes in daily clinical practice.