FRIDAY, Jan. 3, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Berlex Laboratories says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved its anti-rosacea gel FINACEA. The company, a U.S. affiliate of the pharmaceutical giant Schering AG, says it represents the first new treatment for rosacea in more than a decade.
Rosacea is a chronic skin disease characterized by redness, pimples, and, in advanced stages, thickened skin. Rosacea usually affects the face, and rarely, other parts of the upper body. The condition affects some 14 million people in the United States, most often adults between the ages of 30 and 60. Many people who have it aren't aware of the condition.
Although rosacea can develop in people of any skin color, it tends to occur most frequently and is most apparent in people with fair skin. Women -- in particular, those in menopause -- are more likely than men to have the condition, but it is often more severe in men.
Clinical trials involving 664 people found that the gel showed improvement in rosacea's symptoms in as few as four weeks. FINACEA is expected on pharmacy shelves in the first quarter of the new year, the company says.
Here is the Berlex press release announcing the approval. For more information about rosacea, visit the National Rosacea Society.
