Antibiotic Sarecycline’s Many Uses Revealed
Sarecycline is a new type of antibiotic, usually prescribed for moderate to severe acne.
It has been found to be effective for treating dermatological conditions simultaneously.
While antibiotics are often used to treat a singular condition, new research confirms that Sarecycline can be used to treat multiple dermatological conditions.
With this in mind, Sarecycline has recently gained popularity for its broad treatment effect.
Recent studies have confirmed the antibiotic’s potential to fight other skin conditions, such as:
- Perioral dermatitis
- Mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP)
- Papulopustular eruptions due to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI-induced PPEs)
What is Sarecycline?
Sarecycline is a newly available third-generation antibiotic (tetracycline), used to treat moderate-to-severe acne.
A third-generation antibiotic is a broad-spectrum drug that is most effective at treating a wide range of bacterial infections, though usage to date has been mainly for acne outbreaks.
Sarecycline can be used as an acne treatment for people as young as 9 years old and is currently only available in the USA through a doctor’s prescription.
How does it treat acne?
Acne can occur when your skin’s pores become clogged with excessive sebum (oil) and dead skin cells.
Sometimes the acne-causing bacteria can grow within clogged pores and cause acne breakouts and inflammation.
Sarecycline works by slowing or stopping the production of the bacteria and limiting the skin’s natural oil production.
The antibiotic simultaneously combats acne at its root cause and visible symptoms.
The inflammation does not only appear as pimples and cysts above the skin, but also as redness once acne lesions have disappeared.
Inflammation is the driving cause of acne scarring, and it is important to prevent any acne inflammation to ensure that no scarring occurs.
This new antibiotic helps your skin to heal and prevent any further breakouts.
Sarecycline’s Fight Against Bacteria
Sarecycline affects fewer types of bacteria compared to other tetracycline antibiotics, such as doxycycline or minocycline.
When some antibiotics kill multiple bacteria at once, it can cause side effects such as an upset stomach.
It may also increase your risk of antibiotic resistance.
Antibiotic resistance can occur when the strength of bacteria evolves to prevent the effect of an antibiotic; therefore, infections become more difficult to treat.
While Sarecycline prevents the production of acne-causing bacteria, it is unlike other antibiotics in that it does not damage your ‘good’ gut bacteria.
This new medication leaves your gut bacteria healthy and balanced.
Sarecycline’s Further Benefits
Although not readily available in Australia, Sarecycline will be an antibiotic to keep your eye on with many potential benefits for acne treatment.
Further benefits of the antibiotic include:
- Once-Daily Medication: One of the biggest challenges for acne patients is sticking to a strict and regimented treatment plan. Sarecycline will simplify this process, with a simple approach of a once-daily treatment. This will lead to better and consistent results for patients.
- Safer for Younger Patients: With approval for acne patients as young as 9 years old, Sarecycline offers a much-awaited option for young patients with severe acne. Early treatment can help prevent physical and emotional scars often associated with long-term acne struggles.
New Research
New research across multiple studies into Sarecycline, published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, investigated the antibiotic’s potential to treat other skin conditions while treating moderate-to-severe acne, too.
These skin conditions were:
- Rosacea: A chronic condition causing sensitive skin, redness, inflammation and sometimes papules (red bumps) or pustules (pus-filled spots), often appearing like acne.
- Perioral dermatitis: An inflammatory rash around the mouth that could be mistaken for rosacea or acne, sometimes extending to areas near the nose and eyes.
- MMP: A rare chronic autoimmune disease that causes blistering sores around the mouth and eyes.
- TKI-induced PPEs: A common side effect of targeted therapy against cancer cells, which cause red papules and pustules, appearing across the face and body.
The Rosacea Trial
In a clinical trial, 102 participants were randomly assigned Sarecycline as an oral medication, or a placebo in the form of a multivitamin with no active antibiotic.
Researchers measured improvements.
The Results of the Rosacea Trial
Patients with rosacea treated with Sarecycline presented with clearer skin and improved skin quality.
Patients had fewer number of pimples, less redness, dryness and burning.
The placebo group had no reported changes to their skin from before the trial.
Side effects were minimal, with 2.6% of patients reporting a mild stomach upset.
A limitation of the trial was that Sarecycline was not directly linked to older tetracyclines (like doxycycline) for rosacea treatment.
Testing Other Skin Conditions Treated with Sarecycline
Researchers investigated case reports for individuals who were treated with Sarecycline for perioral dermatitis, MMP and TKI-related breakouts
The effect of Sarecycline on patients was tracked over weeks or months, depending on the individual.
Sarecycline’s Effects on Perioral Dermatitis
The results suggested that Sarecycline as a treatment for perioral dermatitis may benefit individuals with gastrointestinal disorders.
This is because Sarecycline has less of an impact on gut bacteria compared with other antibiotics.
A patient with the chronic condition, Crohn’s disease, saw significant improvement in their perioral dermatitis within 5 days.
The same patient experienced near-complete healing in 13 days.
Another patient with severe steroid-induced perioral dermatitis saw improvement after 2 months of treatment with Sarecycline.
Sarecycline’s Effects on MMP
The results highlighted Sarecycline’s effectiveness in treating MMP.
A case report reviewed a patient with oral MMP who did not respond to doxycycline as a treatment method but showed significant improvement with a visible reduction in sores by using Sarecycline.
However, this patient had to stop Sarecycline as a course of treatment due to a lack of insurance coverage, impacting the cost.
Sarecycline is not widely accessible due to cost considerations.
Sarecycline’s Effects on TKI-Induced PPEs
Cancer patients who take medication (TKIs) to block cancer cell growth often develop pimple-like rashes called papulopustular eruptions (PPEs).
Traditional antibiotics for PPEs can lead to drug-resistant bacterial infections, causing antibiotic resistance.
This is a concern for cancer patients, whose immune systems are already compromised.
Individual reports showed Sarecycline effectively cleared PPEs without interfering with cancer treatment.
This is encouraging as a potential alternative to traditional antibiotics for patients battling cancer.
The Minimal Side Effects of Sarecycline
Like all antibiotics, it is important to take into consideration the potential side effects.
Older tetracycline antibiotics affect your gut bacteria and cause side effects such as nausea and headaches.
Sarecycline is evidently a safer alternative because it targets fewer gut bacteria and reduces the chance of antibiotic resistance.
This will mean the bacteria in your gut remains healthy and balanced, while your skin is treated.
The Future for Sarecycline
Beyond being an effective treatment for acne, Sarecycline has a promising future for treating rosacea, perioral dermatitis and drug-induced skin reactions.
This is especially positive for people with digestive sensitivities.
Although Sarecycline currently has limited availability due to cost and global accessibility, it is emerging as a valuable alternative to older tetracyclines.
Look out for when Sarecycline arrives in Australia, as it may be the next acne antibiotic available at your dermatologist.
Reference: Vidal, S, Menta, N, Friedman, A, To Acne and Beyond: A Review of Sarecycline’s Off-Label Uses. Journal of Drugs in Dermatology. 2024 September; doi:10.36849/JDD/2024.NVRN0924.
