Ingenol mebutate gel: a guide to its use in actinic keratosis in the EU

Abstract

Ingenol mebutate gel (Picato®) is indicated for the topical treatment of actinic keratosis. Field-directed therapy with topical ingenol mebutate (150 µg/g gel applied once daily for 3 consecutive days for actinic keratoses on the face or scalp, and 500 µg/g gel applied once daily for 2 consecutive days for actinic keratoses on the trunk or extremities) resulted in significantly higher complete and partial clearance rates at day 57 than treatment with vehicle gel. Clearance was generally sustained during 1-year follow-up. Moreover, relative to cryosurgery alone, a 3-day course of ingenol mebutate 150 µg/g gel applied to the face and scalp 3 weeks after cryosurgery improved clearance of actinic keratosis at 11 weeks. Transient local skin responses are very common after initiation of ingenol mebutate gel.