- Katholisches Klinikum Bochum
- Zentren
- New preparation for acne inversa
New preparation gives hope for acne inversa
- Study with 1000 patients and 168 centers published at the highest level
- Bochum dermatosurgery is considered a reference center worldwide
Acne inversa is one of the most insidious skin diseases of all. Chronic inflammations with painful lumps, abscesses, fistulas and scarring occur particularly in hairy skin areas of the large skin folds, such as the armpits and groin. To date, only one drug, adalimumab, has been available worldwide, but only around 50 percent of patients responded to it. In two parallel studies involving more than 1000 patients in 29 countries and 168 highly specialized centers, the efficacy of another active ingredient (secukinumab) has now been proven. The substance is already used to treat psoriasis and in rheumatology, but has not yet been used for acne inversa. The studies were published at the highest level in the world's leading specialist journal Lancet. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03713619 and ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03713632)
The dermatosurgery department at the University Clinic for Dermatology at St. Josef Hospital (Catholic Hospital Bochum) is involved. Head physician Prof. Falk Bechara, who also helped design the study, sees this result as a milestone: “Having another drug is a quantum leap.” Bochum is one of the world's leading centers for acne inversa and is considered a reference center to which complex cases from Germany and abroad have been referred for years. Over 1000 patients are treated each year and around 300 of them undergo surgery.
An estimated 800,000 people in Germany suffer from acne inversa, also known as hidradenitis suppurativa. The disease is also complicated because it is usually recognized very late. It often takes more than ten years between the first symptoms and the actual diagnosis, during which time patients are exposed to a great deal of suffering.
Once the disease has been diagnosed, the only effective medication to date does not always have the desired effect. “In these cases, there was previously no other approved treatment for the patients. For them, the new drug is a reason for hope,” says Falk Bechara. The preparation is now entering the approval process for the indication of acne inversa. In recent years, there have been repeated studies on alternative preparations, all of which had to be discontinued due to lack of efficacy.