Hyperhidrosis is a chronic skin condition that results in the increased production of sweat than needed. A certain amount of sweat is normally produced to regulate body temperature, an excess of sweat becomes unnecessary.
Now, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first drug developed to reduce excessive sweating. The drug will particularly be effective in one type of hyperhidrosis caused under the armpit, better known as primary axillary hyperhidrosis.
According to the drug manufacturing California-based pharmaceutical company, Dermira Inc, the drug which is now known as Qbrexza and will be available in pharmacies in October 2018.
Affected individuals prescribed Qbrexza will receive it as a drug packed inside a cloth. They will be able to use it to wipe over their skin every day to block the sweat glands from activating and thus no sweat will be released from the treated area.
Roughly 15 million Americans experience some form of excessive sweating, with more than 10 million individuals experiencing excessive underarm perspiration.
Excessive sweating is often associated with social embarrassment and emotional burdens to affected individuals. Such distress due to this skin condition has inspired dermatologists to seek effective treatment options.
“From the start, our goal was to develop an approach that went beyond masking a person’s excessive underarm sweating and instead focused on treating the condition in a clinically meaningful way," says Derira Chairman Tom Wiggans.
The FDA approval of Qbrexza was based on two clinical trials.
Most frequent noted side effects of Qbrexza include dry mouth, dilated pupils, sore throat, headache, urinary hesitation, blurred vision, dry nose, dry eyes, dry skin and constipation.