Thousands of NHS patients in the UK will soon have access to Axhidrox, the first cream designed specifically for excessive sweating to gain national approval.
The topical treatment, which reduces armpit perspiration by up to 90 per cent, will be made available in the coming months for National Health Service patients who have exhausted other options. It can also be purchased via online pharmacies for around £130.
Axhidrox contains the active ingredient glycopyrronium bromide and is applied directly to the armpits. It works by blocking the chemical signals that tell sweat glands to perspire.
The NHS, the UK's publicly funded healthcare system, provides medical care through general practitioners and hospitals. While doctors currently prescribe alternative options such as Botox injections or oral antimuscarinic medicines for excessive perspiration, Axhidrox is the first UK treatment developed specifically for the disorder.
Medical-grade antiperspirants are also available, which work by forming a plug inside the sweat glands to block moisture. However, those products commonly cause skin stinging and irritation.
Prevalence and underlying causes
Excessive sweating, known medically as hyperhidrosis, is thought to affect approximately 2.8 million Britons. The condition is diagnosed when sweating occurs regardless of ambient room temperature, stress levels or physical exertion.
Hyperhidrosis affects just as many women as it does men. The root cause of the disorder is believed to be a misfiring in the part of the brain that signals the sweat glands in the armpit to perspire.
While scientists do not know exactly what triggers the condition, they believe there is a genetic link in 25 to 50 per cent of cases.
The approval of Axhidrox follows clinical trials demonstrating its effectiveness in banishing extreme sweating. In a German study of 518 patients, regular use of the cream over 12 weeks reduced perspiration by an average of 65 per cent.
A third of participants in the trial experienced a 75 per cent reduction in sweating, while one in five patients achieved a 90 per cent reduction. According to the study, these benefits continued for roughly a year.
Side effects and safety guidance
Researchers noted that the most common side effects of the cream included localized skin reactions, dry mouth, dry eyes, constipation and blurred vision.
Axunio, the German pharmaceutical firm that manufactures Axhidrox, warns patients to avoid allowing the cream to come into contact with the eyes, mouth or nose.
The manufacturer also advises users to stop using the treatment immediately if they notice itching, rashes or swelling mainly of the face, lips or throat that makes it difficult to swallow or breathe. Axunio cautioned that these symptoms could indicate a severe allergic reaction.
Mental health impacts and genetic research
Studies show that hyperhidrosis can be debilitating, with around 75 per cent of patients reporting that the disorder negatively affects their quality of life. Sufferers are also twice as likely to suffer from anxiety than the average person, and almost three times as likely to experience depression.
A recent US study discovered that a fifth of sufferers could carry a mutation in a gene known to control sweat gland activity. Scientists from Johns Hopkins University, a research institution in Baltimore, Maryland, engineered mice to carry the gene mutation and found that the test subjects developed excessive sweating.
"We found that this mutation essentially turns up the volume on the nerve signals that stimulate sweating," said Dr Malcolm Brock, a surgeon who led the research at Johns Hopkins University. "That insight gives us a specific target to pursue for future therapies."
