{"entity":{"id":"acitretin","kind":"drug","name":"Acitretin","aka":["Neotigason"],"tldr":"Acitretin is a vitamin A tablet licensed for severe psoriasis. In people who have had an organ transplant and keep developing skin cancers, it reduces the number of new squamous cell carcinomas while it is taken.","summary":"Acitretin is a second-generation oral retinoid, the active metabolite of etretinate, taken once daily. The FDA approved it in 1996 for severe psoriasis. In oncology it is used off-label as chemoprevention for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in organ-transplant recipients and other patients with many keratinocyte cancers: a randomised trial in renal-transplant recipients in 1995 showed fewer new squamous cell carcinomas during treatment, and the effect is lost when the drug is stopped.\n\nIt causes dry skin and lips, raised lipids and liver enzyme changes, and is teratogenic for years after the last dose, so its use is restricted to men and to women who will not become pregnant. Nicotinamide is the other, better tolerated, chemopreventive option named alongside it.","status":"approved","asOf":"2026-09-17","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acitretin","links":[{"label":"Wikipedia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acitretin"}],"tags":["subtype-drugs-wave"],"related":["nicotinamide"],"cancers":["cutaneous-scc"],"sections":[],"technologies":["chemoprevention"],"targets":["rara","rxr"],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"brand":"Soriatane","modality":"Oral systemic retinoid","mechanism":"A vitamin A derivative that binds retinoic acid and retinoid X receptors in keratinocytes, normalising their growth and differentiation and slowing the progression of pre-cancerous sun-damaged skin.","approvals":[{"region":"US","year":1996,"indication":"Severe psoriasis (oncology use as chemoprevention of squamous cell carcinoma is off-label)"}],"mechanismSteps":[],"toxicity":[],"access":[],"regulatoryEvents":[]},"route":"/drugs/acitretin/","neighbours":{"drug":[{"id":"nicotinamide","kind":"drug","name":"Nicotinamide","route":"/drugs/nicotinamide/"}],"cancer":[{"id":"cutaneous-scc","kind":"cancer","name":"Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma","route":"/cancers/cutaneous-scc/"}],"technology":[{"id":"chemoprevention","kind":"technology","name":"Chemoprevention & risk-reducing surgery","route":"/technologies/chemoprevention/"}],"target":[{"id":"rara","kind":"target","name":"Retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARA)","route":"/targets/rara/"},{"id":"rxr","kind":"target","name":"Retinoid X receptor (RXR)","route":"/targets/rxr/"}]}}