Long-term follow-up of cantharidin (YCANTH/VP-102/TO-208) treatment for common warts
Official title: COVE-4: A Phase 3, Open-Label, Long-Term Follow-Up Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of YCANTH (VP-102/TO-208) in Subjects With Common Warts (Verruca Vulgaris)
Run by Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. · NCT07457918 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This follow-up will try applying cantharidin (YCANTH/VP-102/TO-208) every ~21 days for up to four applications to see if it safely clears remaining common warts in people who completed earlier COVE studies.
Quick facts
| Phase | Phase 3 |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Ages | 2 Years and up |
| Sex | All |
| Enrollment | 250 (estimated) |
| Sponsor | Verrica Pharmaceuticals Inc. Industry-sponsored |
| Drugs / interventions | immunotherapy |
| Locations | 12 sites (Saint Augustine, Florida and 11 other locations) |
| Status | Recruiting |
| Started | March 11, 2026 |
| Main results expected | November 2027 |
| Study ends | November 2027 |
| Registry record updated | October 22, 2026 |
| Trial ID | NCT07457918 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
Is this trial a fit for you?
✓Likely a good fit
People who completed the Day 84, Day 105, or Day 147 visit in the parent COVE-2 or COVE-3 trials and still have at least one treatable common wart and can comply with post-treatment care and visits are ideal candidates.
✕Probably not a fit
Individuals without remaining treatable warts, those unable to avoid prolonged water immersion after treatment or attend follow-up visits, or those with contraindications to cantharidin are unlikely to benefit.
A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.
What this trial studies
This long-term follow-up enrolls participants who completed the COVE-2 or COVE-3 parent trials and still have at least one treatable common wart. Eligible participants will receive topical cantharidin (YCANTH/VP-102/TO-208) applied to each wart every 21 (±4) days for up to four additional treatments, with treatment stopping if complete clearance is reached. Participants who achieve complete clearance will attend observation visits about every 42 (±4) days without further treatment. Safety monitoring will record adverse events, expected local skin reactions, and concomitant medication use throughout treatment and follow-up.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could offer a clinic-applied topical option to clear persistent common warts with a limited number of additional treatments and structured follow-up.
How similar studies have gone: Previous COVE trials of VP-102 and historical studies of topical cantharidin have shown wart clearance in some participants, and this follow-up extends those findings to additional dosing and longer-term safety monitoring.
Who can join: the full rules
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: Candidates will be included in the study if they: 1. Meet ≥ 1 of the following criteria: 1. Completed the Day 84 visit in the parent study and have ≥ 1 treatable common warts. 2. Completed the Day 105 visit in the parent study and have ≥ 1 treatable common warts. 3. Completed the Day 147 visit in the parent study. 2. Provide written informed consent or assent in a manner approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and/or have a parent/guardian provide written informed consent as evidenced by the signature on an IRB approved assent/consent form. Subjects who turn 18 years of age (or legal age per state or country) during the study may be required to re consent to remain on the study (follow the state or country regulatory requirements). 3. Agree to refrain from swimming, bathing, or prolonged immersion in water or any liquids until the study drug is removed after each treatment. 4. Have the ability, or have a parent/guardian with the ability, to follow study instructions and the willingness to complete all study requirements. 5. Agree not to use any wart-removing product (prescription or over-the-counter) other than the study drug during the course of the study with the exception of circumstances for excluded wart types. Excluded warts include common warts located in excluded areas that will not be treated or evaluated during the study as well as genital, plantar, or anal warts: a. If treatment of these excluded wart types is required during the study, it should be limited to destructive therapy such as cryosurgery and warts cannot be within 10mm of any warts that are under study. 6. Provide written authorization for use and disclosure of protected health information (per state and/or country requirements). 7. If participating in the optional photographic assessment, agree to allow photographs of treatable common warts to be taken at selected visits by the research team. Exclusion Criteria: Candidates will be excluded from the study if they: 1. Are unable to cooperate with the requirements or visits of the study, as determined by the Investigator. 2. Have any warts present at study entry in an allowed anatomic location that the subject, parent/guardian, or Investigator is unwilling to treat. 3. Are systemically immunosuppressed or have taken required systemic immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory medication (including oral or parenteral corticosteroids) within 30 days before enrollment or such treatment is planned to be required during the course of the study. Routine use of local (eg, topical, inhaled, intranasal) corticosteroids and episodic use of systemic medications to treat conditions arising during the study is allowed. 4. Have any chronic or acute medical condition that, in the opinion of the Investigator, may interfere with the study results or place the subject at undue risk (eg, human immunodeficiency virus, systemic lupus erythematosus, viral hepatitis, uncontrolled diabetes). 5. Have had any previous treatment (including an investigational agent in a clinical trial) of common warts, including but not limited to the use of cantharidin, imiquimod, antivirals, retinoids, topical salicylic acid, lactic acid, hydrogen peroxide, trichloroacetic acid, pulse dye laser, iodine-based or nitric oxide-based therapies, oral cimetidine, coix seed, intralesional immunotherapy, curettage, or freezing of warts in the 90 days before treatment. 6. Immunizations (eg, flu shots) may be administered throughout the study, but not within 5 days before or after any treatment with study drug. 7. Have received any investigational product as part of a clinical trial NOT related to the treatment of common warts within 30 days before the first application of the study drug. 8. Have epidermodysplasia verruciformis. 9. Have an active malignancy or are undergoing treatment for any malignancy other than basal cell carcinoma. 10. Have a clinically significant medical, psychiatric, emotional condition, or abnormality that, in the opinion of the Investigator, would compromise the safety of the subject or the quality of the data. 11. Have a hypersensitivity or an idiosyncratic reaction to YCANTH (VP-102/TO-208) or related compounds, or drug product excipients (acetone, ethyl alcohol, nitrocellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, castor oil, camphor, gentian violet, and denatonium benzoate). 12. Have a condition or situation that may interfere significantly with the subject's participation in the study (eg, subjects who require hospitalization for an acute or chronic condition including alcohol or drug abuse), at the determination of the Investigator. 13. Are sexually active or may become sexually active and are unwilling to practice responsible birth control methods (eg., combination of condoms and foam, birth control pills, intrauterine device, patch, shot and vaginal ring). Withdrawal is not an acceptable method of birth control. Females who have reached menarche must have a negative urine pregnancy test at each visit before treatment with YCANTH (VP-102/TO-208). 14. Are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Where it's running
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Florida Center for Dermatology, P.A.
Saint Augustine, Florida, United States Recruiting -
The Indiana Clinical Trials Center, PC
Plainfield, Indiana, United States Recruiting -
Delricht Research at Touro Medical Center
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States Recruiting -
Maryland Dermatology Laser Skin & Vein
Hunt Valley, Maryland, United States Recruiting -
US Dermatology Partners
Rockville, Maryland, United States Recruiting -
Michigan Center for Research Company
Clarkston, Michigan, United States Recruiting
Show 6 more locations
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Skin Specialist, PC dba Schlessinger MD
Omaha, Nebraska, United States Recruiting -
Optima Research Boardman
Boardman, Ohio, United States Recruiting -
Delricht Research at Grassroots Healthcare
Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States Recruiting -
Texas Dermatology
San Antonio, Texas, United States Recruiting -
Ohyama Dermatology Clinic
Kumamoto, Kumamoto, Japan Recruiting -
Tampopo Dermatology Clinic
Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan Recruiting
Study contacts
- Principal investigator: Adelaide A Hebert, MD — UTHealth McGovern Medical School - Houston
- Study coordinator: Project Manager
- Email: 17340-COVE4@allucent.com
- Phone: 484-453-3295
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How to take part
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
- Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.