Sarecycline in moderate to severe acne vulgaris: a profile of its use

Sarecycline (Seysara®) is a narrow-spectrum, third-generation tetracycline-class antibiotic approved in the USA and in China for once-daily oral treatment of inflammatory lesions of non-nodular moderate to severe acne vulgaris in patients aged ≥ 9 years. With demonstrated efficacy in reducing acne symptoms and with low rates of adverse events commonly associated with other systemic tetracyclines, sarecycline is a valuable treatment option in moderate to severe acne vulgaris. The efficacy of sarecycline in treating acne vulgaris was demonstrated in two pivotal phase 3 trials which reported significant reductions in facial inflammatory lesion counts and higher treatment success rates compared with placebo. Sarecycline is also efficacious in reducing truncal acne, based on post-hoc analyses from the pivotal trials. Additionally, patient-reported outcomes demonstrated that sarecycline recipients had reductions in the psychosocial disease burden of acne. Sarecycline is generally well tolerated, with most adverse events being of mild severity. Acne vulgaris is a common, chronic skin condition frequently affecting adolescents but which can continue into adulthood. The condition can have a detrimental impact on patient quality of life and is associated with increased risks of anxiety and depression. Mild acne vulgaris is typically treated with topical therapies; however, oral antibiotics may be required to effectively treat moderate to severe disease. Sarecycline (Seysara®) is a narrow-spectrum tetracycline-class antibiotic approved in the USA and in China as an oral treatment for moderate to severe acne vulgaris in patients aged ≥ 9 years. As demonstrated in two pivotal clinical trials in patients with moderate to severe acne, once-daily sarecycline is effective in reducing facial acne symptoms, with evidence that the drug also reduces chest and back acne. Sarecycline also improves quality of life measures with better patient-reported social and emotional functioning. Sarecycline is generally well tolerated, with low rates of side effects often associated with oral antibiotics of the same class. Thus, sarecycline represents a valuable treatment option for moderate to severe acne vulgaris in patients aged ≥ 9 years.