Alitretinoin, or 9-cis-retinoic acid, is an antineoplastic agent developed by Ligand Pharmaceuticals. It is a first generation retinoid

Retinoid

The retinoids are a class of chemical compounds that are related chemically to vitamin A. Retinoids are used in medicine, primarily due to the way they regulate epithelial cell growth....

. Ligand gained Food and Drug Administration

Food and Drug Administration

The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...

 (FDA) approval for alitretinoin in February 1999.

Kaposi’s sarcoma

In the United States, topical alitretinoin (trade name Panretin) is indicated for the treatment of skin lesions in AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma

Kaposi's sarcoma

Kaposi's sarcoma is a tumor caused by Human herpesvirus 8 , also known as Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus . It was originally described by Moritz Kaposi , a Hungarian dermatologist practicing at the University of Vienna in 1872. It became more widely known as one of the AIDS defining...

. Alitretinoin is not indicated when systemic therapy against Kaposi's sarcoma is required.

Chronic hand eczema

Under the trade name Toctino (marketed by Basilea, Switzerland) it has been granted prescription rights in the UK (08/09/2008) for oral use in chronic hand eczema

Hand eczema

Hand eczema presents on the palms and soles, and may sometimes be difficult or impossible to differentiate from atopic dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis, and psoriasis, which also commonly involve the hands...

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In May 2009 the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is a special health authority of the English National Health Service , serving both English NHS and the Welsh NHS...

(NICE) issued preliminary guidance on the use of Alitretinoin for the treatment of severe chronic hand eczema in adults. The recommendation stated that only patients with severe chronic hand eczema who are unresponsive to potent topical corticosteroids, oral immunosuppressants or phototherapy should receive the drug. Final NICE guidance is expected in August 2009.

External links

• Prescribing Information (revised February 2007). Retrieved on 01-30-08.