Gel to treat precancerous skin condition gets FDA nod

A gel to treat a precancerous skin condition has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Picato gel, produced by LEO Pharma is applied to the skin to treat actinic keratosis, a skin condition caused by overexposure to the sun. The condition produces dry, scaly patches or lesions that form on the outermost layer of the skin, a statement from the company said.

The U.S. headquarters of the Danish specialist pharmaceutical company is based in Parsippany, New Jersey.

Actinic keratosis can lead to squamous cell carcinoma, one of the leading types of skin cancer.

In four phase 3 clinical studies of more than 1,000 patients with actinic keratosis, a significantly higher proportion of those treated with Picato gel showed complete clearance of the skin malady in the field of treatment as compared to placebo, a press statement from the pharmaceutical company said.

A study by the American Academy of Dermatology shows that one in five Americans develop skin cancer at some point in their lifetime.