Antimitotic — Anogenital Warts Pregnancy: Limited data in pregnant women; antimitotic products such as podophyllotoxin are known to be embryotoxic. Not recommended during pregnancy or in women of childbearing potential not using contraception.

Podophyllotoxin

Brand names: Warticon, Condyline

Podophyllotoxin is a topical antimitotic agent used for external anogenital warts.

Auto-extracted from the source labelling — not yet independently clinician-verified. These values were distilled from the UK SPC (or the US label where noted) but have not had a clinician sign-off. Confirm against the current SmPC before prescribing.

Adult dose

Dose: Apply twice daily (morning and evening, every 12 hours)

Route: Topical (cutaneous)

Frequency: Twice daily for 3 consecutive days, then withheld for the next 4 consecutive days (weekly cycle)

Max: Repeat weekly 3-day courses if necessary, up to a total of 4 weeks of treatment

Warticon Cream for anogenital warts. Thoroughly wash and dry the affected area first. Using a fingertip, apply only enough cream to just cover each wart, avoiding surrounding normal tissue; wash hands thoroughly after application. Residual warts may be re-treated with further twice-daily 3-day courses at weekly intervals for up to a total of 4 weeks. Where the treatment area exceeds 4 cm2, treatment should take place under direct supervision of a healthcare professional. Avoid mucous membranes (urethra, rectum, vagina) and eyes.

Dose auto-extracted from UK Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) via the eMC — not yet clinician-verified. Always confirm against the product SmPC and your local formulary before prescribing.

Contraindications

Hypersensitivity to the active substance or to any of the excipients
Open or bleeding wounds
Concomitant use with other podophyllotoxin-containing preparations

Side effects

Skin erosion (very common)
Application site irritation including erythema, pruritus and skin burning sensation (very common)
Application site hypersensitivity (post-marketing, frequency not known)
Skin ulcer, scab, skin discolouration, blister, dry skin
Application site pain, swelling and bleeding

Interactions

None presently known (per SPC section 4.5)

Clinical monograph

How it works

It binds tubulin and arrests cell division in metaphase, causing necrosis of the wart tissue.

Prescribing in practice

It is contraindicated in pregnancy because of potential toxicity, and effective contraception should be ensured in those who could become pregnant.
Apply precisely to the wart, protecting surrounding healthy skin, and respect the limit on the area treated per application to reduce systemic absorption and local irritation.
Treatment is given in cycles of several days followed by a rest period, repeated as directed; local irritation, erosion and soreness are common.

Monitoring

Review treated warts for response and the surrounding skin for irritation, and reassess if warts persist after the recommended cycles.

Counselling the patient

Do not use if you are or might be pregnant.
Apply only to the warts and protect the normal skin around them.
Follow the treat-and-rest cycle exactly as instructed and expect some soreness.

Evidence & guidelines

Podophyllotoxin is a recognised patient-applied first-line treatment option for external anogenital warts in UK and dermatology guidance.

Reference: BASHH Anogenital Warts Guidelines 2015; NICE CKS Genital Warts; Drug verified in RxNorm (NLM); confirm dosing against the manufacturer SPC (eMC). Verify against your local formulary and current prescribing references before prescribing. The structured dose values shown have been reviewed by a clinician. Monograph status: clinician-reviewed (2026-07-04).

Curated clinical cross-links plus same-class fallbacks.

Pathways