This grade answers one narrow question: how strong is the public evidence and safety record behind this drug, and how clean is its money trail and court record? It is not a verdict on whether the drug is right for you.
(clascoterone) cream is an androgen receptor inhibitor indicated for the topical treatment of acne vulgaris in patients 12 years of age and older. WINLEVI (clascoterone) cream is an androgen receptor inhibitor indicated for the topical treatment of acne vulgaris in patients 12 years of age and older. ( 1 )
None. None ( 4 )
Local Irritation: Pruritus, burning, skin redness or peeling may be experienced with WINLEVI cream. If these effects occur, discontinue or reduce the frequency of application of WINLEVI cream. ( 5.1 ) Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis suppression may occur during or after treatment with clascoterone. ( 5.2 ) Attempt to withdraw use if HPA axis suppression develops. ( 5.2 ) Pediatric patients may be more susceptible to systemic toxicity. ( 5.2 , 8.4 ) Hyperkalemia: Elevated potassium levels were observed in some subjects during the clinical trials. ( 12.2 ) 5.1 Local Skin Reactions WINLEVI cream may induce local irritation (erythema/redness, pruritus, scaling/ dryness). Concomitant use with other potentially irritating topical products (medicated or abrasive soaps and cleansers, soaps and cosmetics that have a strong drying effect and products with high concentrations of alcohol, astringents, spices or lime) should be limited. The product should not be applied to cuts, abrasions, eczematous or sunburned skin. 5.2 Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) Axis Suppression Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis suppression was observed and may occur during or after treatment wit...
Most common adverse reactions occurring in 7 to 12% of patients are erythema/reddening, pruritus and scaling/dryness. Additionally, edema, stinging, and burning occurred in >3% of patients and were reported in a similar percentage of subjects treated with vehicle. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc. 1-800-818-4555 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or http://www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. In two identical multicenter, randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled trials, 1421 subjects 12 years and older with facial acne vulgaris applied WINLEVI cream or vehicle twice daily for 12 weeks. Overall, 62% of the subjects were female, and 38% were male, 91% of the patients were Caucasian, and the mean age was 19.7 years. Local skin reactions (edema, erythema/redness, pruritus, scaling/dryness, skin atrophy, stinging/burning, striae rubrea, telangiectasia) were obse...
Source: FDA SPL label for Winlevi (Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc.), effective 20250102. Full label on DailyMed.
These are counts of reports people filed, not rates of harm. Anyone can file one, and nobody checks whether the drug was the cause. Millions of doses are taken for every report sent, so the useful part is how this drug compares with the average across all drugs.
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 500 | 210 | 422 | 269 | 13 |
Source: the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports are voluntary and unverified. Drugs that are prescribed a lot, in the news, or in lawsuits attract more reports, so the percentages are compared with the whole database to correct for that partly, not fully.
Counts measure how much evidence exists and how transparent it is, not how big the benefit is. For that, ask your prescriber: if 100 people like me took this, how many would get better because of it, and how many would be harmed? (Doctors call these the "number needed to treat" and "number needed to harm.") It differs by condition and is the number drug ads leave out. Sources: PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov.
In 2024, drug companies reported $720,431 in payments to US physicians and hospitals tied to this drug across 16,366 transactions (Winlevi $720,431).
No pending federal MDL names this drug or its brands.
Not named in any federal pharmaceutical settlement of $100M or more on record.
Sources: CMS Open Payments (Sunshine Act); Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation pending docket list; DOJ settlements as tabulated on Wikipedia with links to the primary record. State-court and individual suits are not included.
No same-class alternatives found in RxClass.