Secondary Prophylaxis of Anogenital Warts with Podofilox Increases Cure Rate

The CDC recommends five different treatments for anogenital warts: podofilox 0.5% solution, podophyllin 10 to 25% in tincture of benzoin, trichloracetic acid 80 to 90%, liquid nitrogen cryosurgery, and electrodessication. Of these treatments, podofilox is the only one that can be self-administered. As with all these treatments, anogenital warts recur in more than 90% of podofilox-treated patients after the recommended 4-week treatment period. This study evaluated 0.5% podofilox solution as secondary prophylaxis against wart recurrence after primary treatment.

One hundred patients with anogenital warts were self-treated with 0.5% podofilox solution or vehicle (placebo) in the standard manner. After 4 weeks of treatment, 68% of the warts had d…