Oral isotretinoin and intralesional immunotherapy by Candida antigen have shown promising efficacy and safety for the treatment of plane warts in a few studies.

A new study published in The Journal of Dermatological Treatment evaluated the efficacy and safety of a combination of oral isotretinoin and Candida antigen versus either agent alone in the treatment of multiple plane warts.

This study recruited 108 patients who were randomly assigned to three groups, of 36 each. Group 1 received oral isotretinoin alone at a dose of 0.3 mg/kg/day. Group 2 received intralesional injection of Candida antigen alone at a dose of 0.1 ml of 1/1000 solution into the largest wart. Group 3 received a combination of Candida antigen and oral isotretinoin by the same method and dose mentioned above.

The results demonstrated complete clearance of warts in 44.4% of the oral isotretinoin alone group; in 55.6% of the Candida antigen alone group; and in 38.8% of the combination therapy group. Thus, a statistically significant difference in favor of the Candida antigen alone group was demonstrated.

The findings indicated that Candida antigen, oral isotretinoin and a combination of both represent potential effective and safe modalities in the treatment of plane warts, with Candida antigen alone being the most effective.

Source: The Journal of Dermatological Treatment. 2020 Apr 22;1-6.doi:10.1080/09546634.2020.1754325.