Why Molluscum No Longer Means 'Watch and Wait,' With Leon Kircik, MD

At LEADderm 2026, Leon Kircik, MD, clinical professor of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and medical director of DermResearch, Physicians Skin Care, and Skin Sciences in Louisville, Kentucky, joined Lisa Swanson, MD, for a talk on molluscum contagiosum and berdazimer topical gel, 10.3%.

Kircik said molluscum contagiosum, a poxvirus infection mostly affecting young children, had no US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment until recently, leaving clinicians to rely on irritating topical agents or physical modalities such as curettage, cryotherapy, trichloroacetic acid, and liquid nitrogen.

Those visits often come with an anxious parent in the room, he said, since many families first hear from a pediatrician the virus will simply resolve on its own within a year or more.

"It looks very simple, but it's a very challenging diagnosis to deal with and treat," Kircik said.

Kircik said those physical options are especially hard to carry out in 2- and 3-year-old patients, who need to be held still, and berdazimer gel, 10.3%, gives families an FDA-approved option they can apply at home instead. He was careful to frame it as a treatment rather than a cure, since molluscum is viral and no product yet clears the infection directly. Kircik said pediatric dermatology broadly draws less drug-development attention, noting warts still have no FDA-approved treatment of their own despite affecting more than 20 million people in the US each year.

Kircik said he follows ongoing clinical research closely and expects additional molluscum therapies to reach the armamentarium in coming years, though he did not name specific candidates. He also praised LEADderm's format for opening with sessions like his own before the scientific program, calling the mix a grounding complement to the clinical data covered later on.

Asked what excites him most in dermatology broadly, Kircik pointed to alopecia areata, an area he said went overlooked for years. He noted 3 JAK inhibitors, baricitinib, ritlecitinib, and deuruxolitinib, are now FDA-approved for the condition, and said he is looking forward to a biologic option offering long-term efficacy and safety for patients who need ongoing treatment.

Editor’s note: Kircik has disclosed receiving research funding, honoraria, and speaking fees from Novan, Inc., and its successor, Pelthos Therapeutics, maker of berdazimer.

References

1. FDA approves Zelsuvmi (berdazimer) topical gel, 10.3%, for molluscum contagiosum. Drugs.com. Updated January 5, 2024.

2. Pelthos Therapeutics launches Zelsuvmi (berdazimer) topical gel, 10.3%, the first and only FDA-approved at-home treatment for molluscum contagiosum. Pelthos Therapeutics. Published July 10, 2025. Accessed September 8, 2026. https://pelthos.com/pelthos-therapeutics-launches-zelsuvmi-berdazimer-topical-gel-10-3-the-first-and-only-fda-approved-at-home-treatment-for-molluscum-contagiosum/.

3. Aboul-Fettouh N. Choosing among approved JAK inhibitors: baricitinib, ritlecitinib, and deuruxolitinib. HCPLive. June 23, 2026. Accessed September 8, 2026. https://www.hcplive.com/view/choosing-among-approved-jak-inhibitors-baricitinib-ritlecitinib-and-deuruxolitinib.