Erenumab helps with rosacea-associated flushing, erythema

Monthly subcutaneous injections of the anti–CGRP-receptor monoclonal antibody erenumab appear to be beneficial in the management of flushing and chronic redness among individuals with rosacea, according to a study.

A total of 30 participants (mean age 38.8 years, 77 percent female) participated in this open-label, single-group, nonrandomized controlled study. These participants had rosacea with at least 15 days of either moderate to severe erythema and/or moderate to extreme flushing. All of them received 140 mg of erenumab, administered subcutaneously every 4 weeks for 12 weeks. Concomitant rosacea treatment was not allowed throughout the study period. A safety follow-up visit was conducted at week 20.

The primary outcome was the mean change in the number of days with moderate to extreme flushing during weeks 9 through 12 relative to the 4-week run-in period (baseline). The mean change in number of days with moderate to severe erythema was the secondary outcome. Adverse events (AEs) were documented among participants who received at least 1 dose of erenumab.

From weeks 9 through 12, the mean number of days with moderate to extreme flushing decreased by 6.9 days (95 percent CI, −10.4 to −3.4 days; p<0.001) from 23.6 days at baseline. Similarly, a significant reduction in the mean number of days with moderate to severe erythema was observed, with the baseline of 15.2 days decreasing by 8.1 days (95 percent CI, −12.5 to −3.7 days; p<0.001) during the follow-up.

Transient mild-to-moderate constipation was the most common AE, occurring in 33 percent of participants. This was followed by transient worsening of flushing (13 percent), bloating (10 percent), and upper respiratory tract infections (10 percent), in line with previous data.

A serious AE (hospital admission due to gallstones deemed unrelated to the study) led to study discontinuation. Two participants withdrew consent due to lack of time.