Efficacy of Early Initiation of a Gel Containing Extractum Cepae, Heparin, and Allantoin for Scar Treatment: An Observational, Noninterventional Study of Daily Practice

January 2013 | Volume 12 | Issue 1 | Original Article | 38 | Copyright © January 2013


Gunter H. Willital MDa and Jeannette Simon MDb

aPediatric Surgical Research Institute Münster-Datteln, Münster, Germany bMerz Pharmaceuticals GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany

tendency toward more rapid fading, and less frequent conversion from physiological scars to nonphysiological scars when compared with untreated scars. All scar-specific effects of the scar gel containing extractum cepae, heparin, and allantoin continued to persist after the end of treatment, as demonstrated at follow-up 12 months postsurgery.10 An additional study demonstrated a considerable difference in scar size in favor of the patients treated with the scar gel containing extractum cepae, heparin, and allantoin compared with the untreated group after 6 to 12 months of treatment. 16 Another randomized, controlled, similarly designed study in children and adolescents aged between 1 and 18 years provides additional support for the efficacy of this treatment. In the group treated with the scar gel containing extractum cepae, heparin, and allantoin, scars were statistically significantly smaller compared with the control group at the 6-month and 12-month observation points, and more postoperative wounds healed into physiological scars.17 Nevertheless, placebo-controlled studies evaluating the ultimate benefit of extractum cepae–containing scar creams are missing, and a recent double-blind study comparing the efficacy between a scar gel containing extractum cepae (Mederma; Merz Pharmaceuticals, Greensboro, NC) and a petrolatum-based emollient did not reveal any statistically significant differences between the 2 treatment groups in any of the outcome measures studied.25 However, patient numbers were low in this study, and scars varied in location, origin, and age. Thus, reliable comparison between groups may be difficult in this study.25

CONCLUSIONS

The improvements in the parameters measured here support data from other clinical trials and suggest that the scar gel containing extractum cepae, heparin, and allantoin may be effective for the early treatment of scars arising from a variety of causes. Patients and physicians were very satisfied with the treatment, reporting that it was simple to use, reliable, and well tolerated. This treatment approach may help to prevent excessive scar formation and, based on data from a large patient cohort, may contribute to physiological scar development. However, more well-designed studies are needed in order to ultimately test the efficacy of the scar gel containing extractum cepae, heparin, and allantoin on prevention of excessive scars and scar maturation.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This article was previously published in German in the journal Kompendium Dermatologie. Editorial support for the resubmission was provided by Ogilvy 4D, Oxford, UK, and funded by Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH.

DISCLOSURES

The study was funded by Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH and Professor Willital. Professor Willital has received financial support from Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH for research and consultancy. Dr. Simon is an employee of Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH.

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AUTHOR CORRESPONDENCE

Günter H. Willital MDG.Willital@web.de
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