Topical Lovastatin new primary treatment option for patients of Disseminated Superficial Actinic Porokeratosis

A new study found that there were no significant benefits in clinical improvements in Disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis (DSAP) after adding cholesterol 2% cream to 2% lovastatin instead of plain lovastatin alone. The clinical improvements were almost similar in both groups as per the study results that were published in the journal JAMA Dermatology.  

Disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis (DSAP) is an inherited or sporadic disorder of keratinization associated with germline variations. As there is no effective standard of care therapy for DSAP, researchers conducted a patient- and assessor-blinded, randomized clinical trial to evaluate and compare the safety and efficacy of topical 2% lovastatin combined with 2% cholesterol cream and topical lovastatin alone in adults with DSAP. 

The trial was conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina between August 3, 2020, and April 28, 2021. Nonpregnant adults with a previous clinical or histological diagnosis of DSAP were blindly analyzed after study completion. Participants were randomized to once- or twice-daily application of either lovastatin-cholesterol cream (n = 17) or lovastatin cream (n = 14) to symptomatic regions for 12 weeks. The effect of the treatment on DSAP at the end of treatment (12 weeks) as measured by the DSAP General Assessment Severity Index (DSAP-GASI; scored from 0-4, with 0 indicating clear and 4 indicating severe) was the primary efficacy measure. Efficacy was assessed based on investigator-standardized photographs provided by the participants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patient-reported outcomes, application frequency, and adverse events (AEs) were the secondary efficacy measures.