Intralesional bleomycin for warts: a review

Intralesional bleomycin has been used for the treatment of warts since the 1970s. Currently, there is a limited amount of evidence from randomized placebo-controlled trials comparing intralesional bleomycin with other local treatments for warts. Numerous reports have been published on the use of intralesional bleomycin for the treatment of recalcitrant warts with cure rates ranging from 14% to 99%. The majority of the data suggests that bleomycin is effective in over two-thirds of the reported cases with minimal side effects. In this paper, we review the mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, safety profile, supply and storage, dosage scheme, techniques for administration, and efficacy of intralesional bleomycin for the treatment of warts.