non-invasive treatment on the way

[enthousiastic]

Pretty excited about this release!

http://investors.biospecifics.com/2014- ... man-Lipoma

Few more years before a good and safe non-invasive treatment? I know it won't reduce it fully, but for me 60%+ is great news

[matt]

Yes, this is definitely good news eventhough it probably will still take years for this kind og treatment to be widely available.

And note that the average 67% reduction in lipoma size was achieved with only one injection of XIAFLEX (or XIAPEX in Europe). They tested different doses. So it might actually remove the lipomatous tissue fully, although it's unlikely. But still, like you said, a 60 % reduction would already be amazing. The active ingredient is collagenase.

I wish we here on this board could somehow become testers of this "new" treatment.

[zenjen]

This is pretty exciting! Thanks for the update!

[Diego]

I wonder when we can buy and test before its commercial release...
It is now in phase 2 clinical trial. could be a possibility when phase 3 starts...

[fb88]

Based on what I read, this drug is already available for use for this indication. They are just doing clinical trial for use for lipoma...

XIAFLEX (collagenase clostridium histolyticum). XIAFLEX is a proprietary, injectable collagenase enzyme approved by the United States (U.S) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of Dupuytren's contracture (Dupuytren's) in adult patients with a palpable cord.

http://www.drugs.com/pro/xiaflex.html
https://www.xiaflex.com/
http://fidoseofreality.com/new-treatmen ... -revealed/

[fb88]

So what kind of result and price point would you start consider using this type of injection? Since it never completely removes the lipoma, I wonder how often you would have to inject to keep them at bay, and if there is a limit of how many you can inject since many of us have several dozens of lipomas.

[matt]

They say that for Dupuytren's you often need just one injection but in about 30-40% of cases the condition will recur. And sometimes you need to have a second or thrid injection to get the wanted effect. The treatment is very expensive without insurance coverage. One treatment for Dupuytren's can cost around $2000.

I'm not sure how much it would cost to treat lipomas but I'm guessing it will be expensive unless the insurance can cover it.

But still it's good to have the option.

[Hunter34]

i see a doctor named Dr. Gold. Hes been one of the top dermatologist in the US for years. He has his own skin care line and is on the board for every major pharmaceutical company, practically. Hes fantastic and travels constantly to conferences arpind the world and meets with other physicians and whatnot. So I saw him because I knew hed be on top of this, if anyone was.
I saw him last week and talked about options and he uses the punch and squeeze method of removal with very small scars but told me that theres a shot a few years away that will remove the lipomas completely. He said it was expensive and he told "them" (Im guessing the company) that he felt it should be affordable and readily available. That it woild cost around $3000 for the Dr. to buy and he woild estimate it sold for around $6000 for a vial. I didnt ask if it was Xiaflex but I assumed it was. I see him in a few weeks and ill ask.
Im just wondering why this isnt available now? Id assume thr tests for lipoma usage would be to get it approved for medical use and so insurance could pay maybe? Because if its available for the Dupuytrens then why not be able to use it off label? Lipodissolve is basically uswd off label. Also for Dupuytrens ive read its around 2-3k per treatment which would be around what dr gold said this future treatment would be.

Regardless, I think there are definite viable treatments coming our way. Very expensive for the near future, but for treatments that definitely work on lipomas gives me hope.

[matt]

Thanks for the info Hunter34! You are right that if the treatment would be accepted as a new standard treatment for lipomas then insurance would likely take care of the costs. Of course insurance companies might start to complain that the injection therapy is so expensive while the traditional surgery is often cheaper.

Well, we'll see. For now I'm just happy that there will be a non-invasive treatment available!

[fb88]

That is crazy expensive. People can't afford simple surgery let alone $3,000 injection. Is that for 1 lipoma or good for 2 dozens?? Maybe for the super rich that don't want scars.

FYI the earlier email mentioned it's under phase 2 clinical trial for lipoma use.

[mr_after]

let's say someone has 50 lipomas, he will be injected 50 times? This is insane. Im not very optimist about that one. Sorry

[matt]

It sounds like much but in reality only perhaps a dozen or so would be treated at once. So you would need multiple treatments. This is atleast the way I got treated with PC injections. And if you fear that the injections will hurt you could apply some anesthesia cream in advance. The injections do sting a bit but in my opinion not too much. Of course everyone's different.

About the price... I do think it would drop a lot if it got approved as a treatment for lipomas. There are millions of us suffering. A whole lot of more than there are people with Dupuytren's.

[matt]

By the way there's a similar discussion forum about Peyronies Disease and Xiaflex (a curvature condition of the penis). I haven't read too much but Xiaflex has reportedly helped many and it has now been approved as a treament for Peyronies Disease. There are some doctors named. Perhaps someone could try to find an MD willing to try Xiaflex against lipomas off-label? Of course you would have to have the money for it now since the insurance ain't going to cover it yet.

[fb88]

This drug is also approved for bending penis over 30 degrees in December. For $3,000 I could understand for that purpose, but not for lipoma. It would have to come down to the cost of $100 per lipoma cost, assuming each vital of injector is good for many lipomas. A person who only needs to treat 1 would pay more for the entire vial, and person w/multiple lipomas can spread that cost over multiple lipomas.

[251152]

yeah the news are good but as stated above the price is just crazy. I mean most of us have multiple lipomas and they ain't stopping to grow. One would think you'd need to inject yourself regularly to keep them at bay (I don't believe xiaflex can make the entire tumor go away), and to pay 3000$ per injection that's just ridiculous. Even the 100$ per lipoma cost is a reasonable price (not cheap) and I can't imagine how it'll drop by 2900$... I mean, it's good to know there's a treatment out there (if it proves to be successful in the end) but if you can't afford it, it doesn't make much of a difference

[mark2]

Hi Matt and others,

I just joined this board. Has there been much recent activity on here? I have had lipomas since I was 24. Now I am 47. I have had 5 total removed via excision. In some cases, the scars are not so bad. However, in other areas I do not like the scars. Naturally, like everybody else, I'm looking for a better cosmetic solution. I have been diagnosed with Familial Multiple Lipomatosis. As a result, treatment is covered under my insurance. This means that I am a great candidate to be a guinea pig for treatments.

-It is free or almost free for me to try
-I have many lipomas to test, likely around 60 or so, so I can try multiple things

I am also VERY eager to get these out of me. I am a powerlifter/bodybuilder and aside from the normal cosmetic concerns, I have extra concerns.

I first noticed my lipomas shortly after trying out steroids in my 20's. I don't believe that steroids started my issue, but I do believe that they grow more or faster when on a higher dosage. I have been on testosterone therapy for about 4-5 years now. New lipomas always seem to arrive here and there. Honestly, I don't even know how many I have or where they all are.

I see that XIAFLEX was at least being tested at one time. Has anybody found out anything about this now? I have a doctor that has given me XIAFLEX for other things and he would be a great option for me to give it a try.

I'm glad that you have this site and I would really like to participate heavily in whatever I can do to help us all.

Mark

Yes, this is definitely good news eventhough it probably will still take years for this kind og treatment to be widely available.

And note that the average 67% reduction in lipoma size was achieved with only one injection of XIAFLEX (or XIAPEX in Europe). They tested different doses. So it might actually remove the lipomatous tissue fully, although it's unlikely. But still, like you said, a 60 % reduction would already be amazing. The active ingredient is collagenase.

I wish we here on this board could somehow become testers of this "new" treatment.

[mark2]

let's say someone has 50 lipomas, he will be injected 50 times? This is insane. Im not very optimist about that one. Sorry

Yes. One small injection in each lipoma. Each dose of XIAFLEX would likely handle multiple lipomas. I'm not sure how many, but judging by the amount I see my doc put in the syringe, I'd say 2-6 lipomas per $3000. However, some larger lipomas would be different and handled case by case. If insurance would cover it then it would be great.