Clascoterone for treatment of acne

Clascoterone is a novel topical antiandrogen medication approved for the treatment of acne. Conventional oral antiandrogen treatments targeting acne such as combined oral contraceptives and spironolactone exert systemic hormonal effects which commonly preclude their usage in male patients while hampering their application in certain female patients. In contrast, clascoterone is a first-in-class antiandrogen proven to be both safe and effective for female and male patients above the age of 12. Outside of occasional localized skin irritation, clascoterone is usually well tolerated, however, some adolescents in a phase II clinical trial experienced biochemical evidence of HPA suppression, which resolved after discontinuing treatment. In this review, we provide an overview of clascoterone including its preclinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and metabolism, safety, clinical studies and indications.