The glaucoma treament Timolol is to be trialed as a treatment for the facial redness of rosacea. Timolol is a non-selective beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist, somewhat similar to Brimonidine. Mirvaso is the recently approved treatment for the red face of rosacea that is based on bromonidine.

Timolol has been used in the past as a dermatological agent to decrease the size of vascular malformations in infant skin. Interestingly Timolol and Brimonidine are both used to decrease the intra ocular pressure associated with glaucoma. Timolol and Brimonidine are are also available together in another product called Combigan.

It is possible that we are seeing the very early stages of a new topical treatment that is related to the brimonidine based Mirvaso. No patents related to Timolol and topical treatment of rosacea were easy to find, so at this stage it is unclear if some pharmaceutical company is also involved in these trials.

Clinical Trial NCT02774590

Timolol for the Treatment of Acne and Rosacea

Sponsor: Johns Hopkins University

This research is being done to determine the safety and tolerability of timolol in the treatment of acne and rosacea. The investigators will also look for specific biomolecular changes in acne or rosacea skin when it is exposed to timolol.

Timolol is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of glaucoma. In dermatology, it has been used as a treatment to decrease the size of vascular (blood vessel) malformations in infant skin. Timolol is not approved for use in acne or rosacea and its use in this study is investigational.

Many people with rosacea have telangiectasias which are small, red dilated blood vessels on the skin. They also suffer from flushing and acne-like lesions. Better treatments than those currently available are desired.

Acne vulgaris, or acne, is another chronic inflammatory and very common skin disease that affects about 8 out of 10 young adults and adolescents. Signs of acne include papules and blackheads that are often called primary lesions because they represent an active form of the disease. There are also secondary lesions that can form later; they are known as acne scars

Estimated Enrollment: 24
Study Start Date: March 2016
Estimated Study Completion Date: March 2020
Estimated Primary Completion Date: March 2018

Related Articles

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• Patents abound for treating rosacea with alpha agonists
• Combine Brimonidine and Oxymetazoline, Why Not?
• Mirvaso User Reviews