Current Considerations in Managing Hyperhidrosis

Shawn Davis, PharmD: Hyperhidrosis is excessive sweating. It can happen on any part of the body—the hands, armpits, back. A lot of patients don’t really talk about it, because many people don’t think that it’s a real disease. That being said, the managed care community hasn’t really taken on hyperhidrosis or thought a lot about it, and there aren’t many good treatments for it.

Today, there are antiperspirants and some other over-the-counter options. Some of the prescription medications have been out on the market for 20-plus years, and they don’t really have good usage in hyperhidrosis. Allowing the patient to actually have something that’s going to be useful is going to be a breakthrough in therapy for them.

I believe that glycopyrronium tosylate will be the first cutting-edge medication that’s going to be approved by FDA that payers will take a hard look at. Payers will be able to identify patients who really need the medication and can ultimately find coverage for those who want and really need this medication in order to live the lifestyle that everyone else who doesn’t have hyperhidrosis lives today.