The corticosteroid injection, a so-called “instant fix” for acne long used ahead of special events like red carpets, proms or weddings, could be making its way from doctors’ offices to an in-home version.
Co-founded by executives hailing from the worlds of telemedicine, beauty and medical devices, acne prescription brand Indomo hopes to offer an at-home version of the typically doctor-dispensed treatment for large, angry pimples. Similar to an EpiPen in format, the ClearPen corticosteroid injector is still in the trial process. Its founders hope it will be available via prescription after clearing what will likely be a multi-year trial process. The brand is entering its Phase 2 clinical trials next year, and will need to clear a final third stage before gaining approval from the Food and Drug Administration that governs medicines in the US. But its founders have high hopes for its potential to transform the acne market.
“There hasn’t really been anything, maybe besides Starface, that has really changed the treatment of an existing inflamed lesion,” said Rick Bente, chief executive of Indomo, who co-founded the brand with Hims & Hers co-founder Jack Abraham and former Starface vice president of operations Cara Davis. The brand’s advisors include a former chief executive from pharmaceutical giant Allergan, as well as Harvard and Stanford dermatologists. It is incubated by Abraham’s VC firm Atomic.
The clinical trial process is “typically several years,” said Bente, who added that there is no specific date estimated for launch.
The biggest differentiator for the new device would be the convenience factor, as pricing will likely be similar to that of a visit for an in-office injection, said Bente, the former president and chief executive of blood collection device startup YourBio Health. Drawing on existing pen injector technology, the ClearPen was developed with a much shorter needle than a doctor would use to penetrate skin lesions.
In a statement, Abraham described the pen as the “first big innovation in acne care since Accutane,” referring to the prescription topical medication. With Abraham’s Hims & Hers connection, telemedicine could be one distribution channel, but the team plans to go wide with distribution via traditional prescriptions in drugstores if it makes Indomo hits the market.
“This will be a way for dermatologists to extend their care beyond the time they can see a patient in the office to the time in between visits,” said Bente. “For patients who don’t have access or ready access to a dermatologist, that is where telehealth can play a really big role.”
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