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Imiquimod

  • Prescription medicine
  • Prescription only
  • Identity checked
  • Sources last checked 2026-09-04

This page shows what was measured, who it was measured in, and what that does not settle.

What Imiquimod does in the body

The topical treatment

From the FDA-approved label: The mechanism of action of Imiquimod Cream in treating AK, sBCC, and EGW lesions is unknown.

What happened in people

RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

A fixed RNAWiki sentence

Where this came from

Wording RNAWiki always uses, not a finding about this substance.

No reviewed claim names a result for any goal on this record.

No source is stored against this line.

The limit that matters most

Not recorded.

Where it acts
Not recorded.
Kind of result
No result is published, so no kind of result applies yet
Supervision
RNAWiki has not recorded a supervision or regulatory status for this substance.

What the registries record it as

  • The substance registry classes this as chemical.

    FDA substance registry · P1QW714R7M · read 2026-08-29

  • Its recorded molecular formula is C14H16N4, weighing 240.3.

    US prescribing information · 59af8153-4cf8-4f22-9000-f239798d52d1 · read 2026-08-30

Where each sentence above came from

No recorded sentence describes the change this makes in a way that stands on its own. The page opens with what it is taken for instead, and the recorded explanation follows below.

Shown as the opening line on this page.

No statement of the main limit is recorded.

The four opening statements run to 36 words.

Words this page uses

Four words worth knowing first

Chosen from what this page shows, with each one explained before the word it depends on.

Stand-in result

A stand-in result is a number measured because the real result takes too long.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

It is like judging a journey by the speedometer rather than by arriving.

Where that stops being true. Speed does predict arrival. Many stand-in results do not predict the real one.

What people get wrong. A stand-in result is often reported as the result itself.

A surrogate endpoint substituted for a clinical endpoint, valid only where the substitution has been shown to hold.

Enzyme

An enzyme is a protein that speeds up one chemical change.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

An enzyme is like a machine on a production line doing one cut.

Where that stops being true. A machine is switched on and off by a person. Enzymes are controlled by the cell.

What people get wrong. Enzymes are thought to be used up. They are not; they work again and again.

A catalytic protein that lowers the activation energy of a specific reaction.

Receptor

A receptor is a part of a cell that a signal fits into.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

A receptor is like a lock waiting for one key.

Where that stops being true. A lock either opens or does not. A receptor can be half-triggered, or worn out.

What people get wrong. Fitting a receptor is read as causing a benefit. It causes a step, and nothing more.

A protein that binds a specific ligand and converts that binding into a cellular response.

Pathway

A pathway is a chain of steps inside a cell, each one setting off the next.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

A pathway is like a row of dominoes.

Where that stops being true. Dominoes fall one way. Pathways loop back and can switch themselves off.

What people get wrong. Changing one step is read as changing the outcome. Other steps often absorb it.

An ordered series of molecular interactions producing a defined cellular change.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What happened in people

Each card is one study: the exact question it asked, who was in it, and whether it showed what it set out to show.

Anal Cancer Incidence

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT02135419
How many people
4446
Study design
Phase 3
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Topical

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Mortality

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT04143451
How many people
4000
Study design
Phase 3
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
Living longer, or avoiding a major event
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Topical

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Proportion of participants with a new Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) on the face at 1 year

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT05212246
How many people
1630
Study design
Phase 3
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Topical

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

treatment succes

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT02281682
How many people
624
Study design
Phase 4
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Topical

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Number of Participants With Treatment Success/Failure at Visit 5/Week 14

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT01686152
How many people
589
Study design
Phase 3
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Topical

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Number of Participants Who Experienced an Adverse Event

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT00116649
How many people
551
Study design
Phase 4
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Topical

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
What we know
RNAWiki holds 6 written-up human studies for this substance, each with the question it asked.
How we know it
Each card names the study, the number of people and what the study set out to measure.
What this does not prove
These summaries were written by a person and have not been signed off as reviewed claims.
Why it matters
A study that failed is as informative as one that worked, and both are here.
What we still do not know
No reviewed claim exists, so no exact population, effect size or interval is published yet.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

How close this is to real life

The top step is something a person would feel or care about. The bottom is a guess from software. Filled steps are where evidence exists for this substance.

  1. Living longer, or avoiding a major event Evidence recorded. Death, a heart attack, a stroke, a hospital stay.3 registered measures of this kind. No reviewed result.
  2. What a body can do day to day No evidence recorded. Walking, dressing, breathing, recovering.No registered study measures this.
  3. Measured performance No evidence recorded. How much was lifted, how far was run, how fast.No registered study measures this.
  4. Symptoms and quality of life No evidence recorded. Pain, tiredness, mood, sleep, as the person rated it.No registered study measures this.
  5. A number that stands in for health Evidence recorded. Cholesterol, blood sugar, bone density. A stand-in, not the thing itself.2 registered measures of this kind.
  6. A step measured inside a person Evidence recorded. Something measured in human tissue or human cells.1 registered measure inside human tissue.
  7. Animals Evidence recorded. Mice, rats, dogs. Useful for ideas, not proof about people.Stored records in Mouse. A result in animals says what to test next. It does not say what happens in people.
  8. Cells in a dish Evidence recorded. Cells or chemistry on a bench, far from a whole body.Stored mechanism abstracts describe steps measured in cells or tissue.
  9. A guess from software No evidence recorded. Nobody measured it. RNAWiki never publishes one as a finding.RNAWiki stores no prediction for this record. Software can suggest a link. RNAWiki does not publish one as a finding.

Higher on these steps means closer to something a person would feel. It does not mean better done.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Felt, measured, or meaningful

Three different things that get called the same word. Registered studies measured all three, and mixing them is how a blood test becomes a health claim.

Felt

Things a person could notice without a test.

No registered study measured anything of this kind.

Measured

Things only a test, a scale or a device shows.

  • gene expression profiling of treated lesions
  • blood pressure
  • heart rate

Meaningful

Things that change how a life goes, not only a number.

  • overall survival
  • overall survival at 12 months
  • progression free survival

A registered study says what someone planned to measure. It does not say what they found. A number moving is not the same as a life going better. The two are shown apart here.

Felt, but not shown to help. A person notices a change. No study showed it leads anywhere good.

Measured, but not felt. A number moves. The person notices nothing. Both can be true.

Measured, but not shown to matter. A number moves in the good direction. Nobody showed that lives went better.

Matters, but takes years. The result that counts may take longer than anyone would keep watching.

Names that fit none of the three (34)
  • who experienced an adverse event
  • treatment emergent adverse events
  • efficacy
  • safety
  • adverse events
  • recuurence rate 24 weeks after ablative therapy
  • elevated myxa
  • disease control rate
  • safety assessment
  • lesion count
  • objective response
  • related serious adverse events
  • maximum tolerated dose
  • dose limiting toxicity
  • seroconversion rate
  • unacceptable toxicity
  • adverse events as a measure of safety and tolerability
  • treatment related adverse events
  • complete clinical response
  • rate of toxicity in study receiving protocol therapy

These are harms, study-process measures, or names the rules did not recognise. They are shown rather than dropped.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Were people like you studied?

RNAWiki cannot tell whether a study fits you. It can show who was in it, and where the result stops carrying.

Who was studied

People similar to this profile were included.

  • Imiquimod Cream is indicated for the topical treatment of: • Clinically typical, nonhyperkeratotic, nonhypertrophic actinic keratoses (AK) on the face or scalp in immunocompetent adults. ( 1.1 ) • Biopsy-confirmed, primary superficial basal cell carcinoma (sBCC) in immunocompetent adults with a maximum tumor diameter of 2.0 cm on trunk (excluding anogenital skin), neck, or extremities (excluding hands and feet),…

Who is missing from the studies

  • Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.

What the label states about particular groups

  • On pediatric, the label states: “The safety and efficacy of Imiquimod Cream for AK or sBCC in patients less than 18 years of age have not been established.”

    US prescribing information · 59af8153-4cf8-4f22-9000-f239798d52d1 · read 2026-08-30

  • On older people, the label states: “Of the 215 subjects treated with Imiquimod Cream in the AK clinical studies, 127 subjects (59%) were 65 years and older, while 60 subjects (28%) were 75 years and older.”

    US prescribing information · 59af8153-4cf8-4f22-9000-f239798d52d1 · read 2026-08-30

  • On people who are pregnant, the label states: “Category C: Note: The Maximum Recommended Human Dose (MRHD) was set at 2 packets per treatment of Imiquimod Cream (25 mg imiquimod) for the animal multiple of human exposure ratios presented in this label.”

    US prescribing information · 59af8153-4cf8-4f22-9000-f239798d52d1 · read 2026-08-30

  • On people who are breastfeeding, the label states: “It is not known whether imiquimod is excreted in human milk following use of Imiquimod Cream.”

    US prescribing information · 59af8153-4cf8-4f22-9000-f239798d52d1 · read 2026-08-30

Where the result stopped carrying

  • This is a scope explorer, not a diagnosis engine.
  • It shows who was studied so you can see whether people similar to you were included.

RNAWiki cannot tell whether a study fits you. It can show who was in it.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Why it might seem to do nothing

A real effect and a noticed effect are different things. These are the recorded reasons the two come apart.

It was studied for a different goal

The studies measured something else entirely.

On this record: Some registered studies measured things that match no goal on this page.

It was studied in different people

The people in the studies were not much like the reader.

On this record: Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.

The evidence may simply be wrong

Small early studies often do not hold up.

On this record: RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

Other reasons RNAWiki checked and found nothing for (10)
A different form was studied
The studied form is not the form on the shelf. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
There was nothing to correct
Where a level is already normal, topping it up may change nothing. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Something else had to happen too
In the studies it was paired with training, a diet or another treatment. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
The change is too small to feel
A real change can still sit below what a person notices. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Day-to-day swing hides it
Sleep, food, stress and time of day move most numbers more than this would. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Not enough time yet
The studies ran longer than the person has waited. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
It was not taken as studied
Missed days change the result, and studies count them. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Something else changed at the same time
Two changes at once cannot be told apart afterwards. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
The product may not be what it says
Contents of a sold product are not always what the label states. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
No recorded reason
RNAWiki has nothing stored that would explain it. Nothing in this record points to this reason.

None of these is a reason to take more. Taking more is not a step this page ever suggests.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What taking it involves

The recorded facts about getting hold of it and using it. Nothing here is a suggestion about what you should do.

How it is supplied

Prescription only

Quoted from a source

Where this came from

Copied from a source RNAWiki stored, with the source named.

Read from the recorded approval status.

No source is stored against this line.

Form and route

Topical

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

The form and route recorded on this substance.

No source is stored against this line.

Who oversees it

RNAWiki has not recorded a supervision or regulatory status for this substance.

Quoted from a source

Where this came from

Copied from a source RNAWiki stored, with the source named.

No register row and no identity class settled the question.

No source is stored against this line.

What is in the pack

Sold as cream, given by the topical route.

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

Recorded notes on how this is sold and what that means for what is in the pack.

No source is stored against this line.

Where it is registered

Regulatory records are listed in the technical disclosure at the foot of this page.

Counted from records

Where this came from

A count of rows RNAWiki holds. It describes our records, not your body.

Register entries are stored per jurisdiction and shown with their dates.

No source is stored against this line.

Why people stop

Not recorded.

Nothing recorded

Where this came from

RNAWiki holds nothing here and says so rather than guessing.

No record of why people stopped taking it is stored for this substance.

No source is stored against this line.

What it would be like to takeNothing found in the sources checked

What can go wrong

Sorted by where each line came from. A regulator's label and a report somebody sent in are not the same kind of fact.

Nothing found in the sources checked

No harm is recorded against this substance in the sources RNAWiki checked. Finding nothing is not the same as showing there is nothing.

The sources listed were searched and held nothing. That is not the same as nothing existing.

Reports sent to a regulator

  • These are reports people sent to a regulator. They do not show the medicine caused the reaction.
  • Nobody counted how many people took the medicine and reported nothing.
  • The same event can be reported more than once, and many reports are incomplete.
  • News coverage, lawsuits and new warnings change how often people report.
  • A count is not a rate and not a risk.

Imiquimod appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 10 most-reported reaction terms, 445 reaction mentions were counted. One report can name several reactions.

The recorded terms (10)
  • erythema — 103 reaction mentions
  • pain — 59 reaction mentions
  • influenza like illness — 50 reaction mentions
  • application site erythema — 49 reaction mentions
  • scab — 39 reaction mentions
  • oedema — 36 reaction mentions
  • chills — 30 reaction mentions
  • application site reaction — 27 reaction mentions
  • myalgia — 27 reaction mentions
  • erythema multiforme — 25 reaction mentions
  • open-targets-adr · recorded 2026-06-24 · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Over a long time. No completed tested study window is recorded, so long-term effects are not established by the registry record.

Groups the studies covered thinly. Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Does the exact form matter?

Evidence belongs to the exact thing that was tested. A different salt, a different mixture or a different preparation is a different question.

The form that was studied

Topical

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

The form used in the studies cited on this page.

No source is stored against this line.

What is sold

Not recorded.

Nothing recorded

Where this came from

RNAWiki holds nothing here and says so rather than guessing.

Nothing further is recorded about which forms are sold.

No source is stored against this line.

What is recorded as being sold

  • 25 products list this as an active ingredient in the United States drug directory. 25 of them contain it and nothing else.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 62147-0087 · read 2026-08-29

  • They are sold as cream and powder, taken topical.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 62147-0087 · read 2026-08-29

  • The regulator's established pharmacologic class for it is increased cytokine activity [pe], increased cytokine production [pe] and interferon inducers [moa].

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 62147-0087 · read 2026-08-29

  • 11 published labels name it as an active ingredient. 11 of them describe this substance alone, which is where its own label text on this page comes from.

    US prescribing information · 1505cf54-37da-4b2b-9812-6ffd6a01a7c7 · read 2026-08-29

  • Those labels are classed as human prescription drug.

    US prescribing information · 1505cf54-37da-4b2b-9812-6ffd6a01a7c7 · read 2026-08-29

  • Imiquimod is topical at 3 DOSAGE FORMS AND STRENGTHS Imiquimod Cream USP, 5%, is supplied in single-use packets each of which contains 250 mg of the cream, equivalent to 12.5 mg of imiquimod., recorded as fda label in effect 2025-08-11 in the United States.

    US prescribing information · 59af8153-4cf8-4f22-9000-f239798d52d1 · read 2026-08-30

  • Recorded price in US: 0.64453–36.21804 USD per one unit as the pricing file counts it — a tablet, capsule, patch or single item, across 5 priced products whose strengths and pack forms differ, as of 2026-08-26, paid by retail pharmacies buying the product, as surveyed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It is not a list price, an insurance price, or what anyone pays at a counter..

    Recorded source · 2026-08-26 · read 2026-08-28

  • Recorded price in US: 107.04272 USD per one gram, across 2 priced products whose strengths and pack forms differ, as of 2026-08-26, paid by retail pharmacies buying the product, as surveyed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It is not a list price, an insurance price, or what anyone pays at a counter..

    Recorded source · 2026-08-26 · read 2026-08-28

Evidence carries across two names for one substance. It does not carry across a salt, a mirror form or a mixture.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What you could measure

This one is decided with a clinician, so this section holds questions to ask rather than a plan to run.

RNAWiki could not confidently classify this substance, so no self-experiment plan is offered.

Questions worth asking

  • Which of the trials of Imiquimod studied people like me?
  • What was measured, and for how long?
  • Was the result a laboratory value or a health outcome?
  • What would we watch for, and when would we stop?

Tracking can show whether something changed for you. It cannot show what caused it.

RNAWiki records evidence. It does not say whether this substance is right for you.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What nobody knows yet

Open questions, each with why it is open and what would close it.

Missing populations

Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Missing long-term data

No completed tested study window is recorded.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

No reviewed conclusion

RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Missing interaction studies

No interaction was found in the registers checked. Not finding one is not the same as showing there is none.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Formulation uncertainty

Several salts, forms or products of Imiquimod are recorded. Results from one form may not transfer to another.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Mechanism not reviewed

No reviewed mechanism story exists for this substance.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Check any of this yourself

Every line above traced back to the study it came from. This is the technical layer, and the vocabulary changes here.

How many documents were read

  • 11 documents were read for this substance.

    RNAWiki source record

  • 4 of them state the same tMax, and they agree.

    RNAWiki source record

Where else this substance is registered

FDA substance identifier (UNII)
P1QW714R7M
RxNorm concept
310982

Checks this page had to pass

  • Passed

    Identity resolved

    no open identity hold

  • Passed

    No unresolved merge across substance families

    no quarantine open

  • Passed

    Every public sentence names a source

    The opening statement carries the origin: Written into the record, not signed off.

  • Not passed

    Trial roles classified for highlighted evidence

    No registered study is classified as testing this substance.

  • Passed

    No internal keys in reader text

    enforced by the copy-contract test over the rendered page

  • Not passed

    Safety mode resolved

    No register row and no identity class settled the question.

  • Passed

    Canonical metadata present

    slug and display name present

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

How this medicine reached us

Kept near the foot of the page. A historical event moves up only when it changes something about this substance today.

What the approval register records

  • 12 approved applications cover products containing this substance. The earliest was NDA020723, approved 19970227 to BAUSCH.

    Drugs@FDA application register · NDA020723 · read 2026-08-29

  • Marketing status on the register: discontinued and prescription.

    Drugs@FDA application register · NDA020723 · read 2026-08-29

  • The earliest marketing start date recorded for a listed product is 20040916.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 62147-0087 · read 2026-08-29

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What to learn next

Ordered by what would most change how you read this page, starting with what is easiest to misunderstand.

This order is fixed in code and does not count clicks or time on the page.

What is not here

7 questions this page could not answer

These sections were prepared and left out because there was nothing to put in them. They are listed rather than hidden, so the gaps in this record are visible.

  • What was measured, goal by goal — found nothing in the sources checked.
  • The path through the body — found nothing in the sources checked.
  • How long anything takes — found nothing in the sources checked.
  • What it may clash with — found nothing in the sources checked.
  • Other ways to the same goal — found nothing in the sources checked.
  • Claims that go past the evidence — found nothing in the sources checked.
  • What changed on this page — found nothing in the sources checked.

The record as stored

The full record, for auditing

Everything above is built from what is below. This layer keeps the technical vocabulary, record identifiers and every stored row, so a reader who wants to check the page can.

Recorded evidence blocks (11)

What did Imiquimod's largest trial (4446 people) and its longest (17 years) measure?


4446 people in Imiquimod's largest registered study, 17 years in its longest registered window, measuring Baseline biomarker profile predicting clinical response to imiquimod treatment. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

32 phase1, 32 phase2, 28 phase3, 17 phase4, 10 na, 6 early phase1, 5 na or unstated; NCT00799110; 2025-09; no ageing endpoint recorded. Last human test completed 2026, NCT06840470.

Interpretation These counts include studies where Imiquimod was a comparison treatment, a background treatment or an exposure in an observational study, and the longest window may be a planned end date. Trial roles have not yet been classified for this record.

Show the evidence
  • phase1
    32
  • phase2
    32
  • phase3
    28
  • phase4
    17
  • na
    10
  • early phase1
    6
2 more recorded rows
  • na or unstated
    5
  • Last recorded human test NCT06840470
    2026-04-08

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

From mouse to human: where has Imiquimod shown biomarker?


mouse: mechanism-only and human: biomarker (121): the rungs where Imiquimod has a recorded finding. Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov · organism ladder · 2026-09-01

Interpretation Baseline biomarker profile predicting clinical response to imiquimod treatment — the recorded outcome words.

Yeast C. elegans Drosophila Mouse mechanism-onlyRat Dog Non-human primate Human biomarker
Show the evidence
  • mouse
    mechanism-only
  • human NCT02329171
    biomarker; Baseline biomarker profile predicting clinical response to imiquimod treatment; 121

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

16 of Imiquimod's trials stopped: safety, futility/efficacy, accrual/recruitment, funding/business, sponsor decision unspecified, other?


safety (2), futility/efficacy (1), accrual/recruitment (8), funding/business (2), sponsor decision unspecified (1) and other (2): Imiquimod's stop wording, clustered. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

"Recruiting complete and administrative termination"; 16 of 121 registered studies

Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT00470392
    terminated; "Recruiting complete and administrative termination"
  • NCT00596336
    terminated; "Recruitment issues"
  • NCT00799110
    terminated; "Withdrawal of funding"
  • NCT00979550
    terminated; "Failure to enroll enough participants"
  • NCT01059110
    terminated; "Difficulty to enrollment patients"
  • NCT01203878
    terminated; "Unable to reach target enrollment of 60 subjects"
10 further recorded trials
  • NCT01283763
    terminated; "poor recruitment"
  • NCT01400672
    terminated; "Treatment ineffective; Extreme toxicity"
  • NCT01403285
    terminated; "Due to poor accrual. This decision was taken without any safety reasons. Since beginning of the study (June 2011) only six patients were enrolled."
  • NCT01663558
    withdrawn; "funding not available"
  • NCT01795313
    terminated; "Closed supratentorial arm prematurely secondary to lack of enrollment"
  • NCT01902771
    terminated; "Lack of Accrual"
  • NCT02329171
    terminated; "Insufficient number of participants."
  • NCT02689726
    terminated; "Lack of efficacy in European Phase 2 study"
  • NCT03760250
    terminated; "Investigator decision"
  • NCT04809662
    terminated; "PI failed to submit the study for continuing review to IRB, failed to respond."

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Human studies of Imiquimod used Aldara® (imiquimod) cream 5% — over how long?


Human studies of Imiquimod used "Aldara® (imiquimod) cream 5%". ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

20 recorded entries; human; topical; also "Aldara (imiquimod 5% cream)", "Combining Topical Imiquimod 5% Cream With a Pulsed Dye Laser", "Imiquimod, 5% cream"

Show the evidence

human

  • NCT00116649
    Aldara® (imiquimod) cream 5%
  • NCT00335179
    Aldara (imiquimod 5% cream)
  • NCT00585247
    Combining Topical Imiquimod 5% Cream With a Pulsed Dye Laser
  • NCT00638651
    Imiquimod, 5% cream
  • NCT00674739
    topical; imiquimod 2.5% topical creram
  • NCT00674739
    3.75% imiquimod cream
14 more recorded rows
  • human NCT00674739
    topical; 3.75% imiquimod topical cream
  • human NCT00774787
    imiquimod 5% cream
  • human NCT00849992
    Imiquimod 5%
  • human NCT01059110
    Aldara® 5%
  • human NCT01161888
    Aldara 5% cream
  • human NCT01203878
    Zyclara (imiquimod 3.75% cream)
  • human NCT01686152
    Imiquimod Cream, 3.75%
  • human NCT01926496
    Imiquimod Cream, 5%
  • human NCT02242929
    Imiquimod 5% cream with prior curettage
  • human NCT02276300
    Aldara 5% Crème
  • human NCT03071679
    Omiganan 1% and Imiquimod
  • human NCT03071679
    Omiganan 2.5% and Imiquimod
  • human NCT03233412
    Imiquimod 5% cream
  • human NCT04808245
    Imiquimod (5%)

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Could one person measure Imiquimod's effect on overall survival?


Overall survival: measured in Imiquimod's trials.

Interpretation overall survival is the recorded endpoint.

Show the evidence

biomarkers

  • overall survival; 2026-09-01
  • who experienced an adverse event; 2026-09-01
  • treatment emergent adverse events; 2026-09-01
  • efficacy; 2026-09-01
  • safety; 2026-09-01
  • adverse events; 2026-09-01
14 more recorded rows
  • biomarkers
    recuurence rate 24 weeks after ablative therapy; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    gene expression profiling of treated lesions; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    elevated myxa; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    disease control rate; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    safety assessment; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    lesion count; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    objective response; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    related serious adverse events; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    maximum tolerated dose; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    dose limiting toxicity; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    seroconversion rate; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    unacceptable toxicity; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    adverse events as a measure of safety and tolerability; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    treatment related adverse events; 2026-09-01
  • half life
    2026-09-04; halfLife; 2026-01-21
  • human trials at or under30
    52
  • smallest human trial
    0; NCT01663558; PHASE4; the smallest recorded human enrolment at or below 30; the registry states no direction of its result; WITHDRAWN

Which of adverse events, adverse events as a measure of safety and tolerability and blood pressure did Imiquimod's trials measure?


adverse events, adverse events as a measure of safety and tolerability and blood pressure lead 40 outcome terms across Imiquimod's trials. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

efficacy, safety, adverse events, recuurence rate 24 weeks after ablative therapy, gene expression profiling of treated lesions and elevated myxa follow.

Show the evidence
  • overall survival
    1
  • who experienced an adverse event
    1
  • treatment emergent adverse events
    1
  • efficacy
    1
  • safety
    1
  • adverse events
    1
14 more recorded rows
  • recuurence rate 24 weeks after ablative therapy
    1
  • gene expression profiling of treated lesions
    1
  • elevated myxa
    1
  • disease control rate
    1
  • safety assessment
    1
  • lesion count
    1
  • objective response
    1
  • related serious adverse events
    1
  • maximum tolerated dose
    1
  • dose limiting toxicity
    1
  • seroconversion rate
    1
  • unacceptable toxicity
    1
  • adverse events as a measure of safety and tolerability
    1
  • treatment related adverse events
    1

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Which of Imiquimod's 8 ongoing trials reports first?


8 registered trials of Imiquimod are open; earliest completion 2026-06. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

Proportion of enrolled patients for whom a personalized vaccine is developed and ready to administer (cohorts A and B); Frequency of patients experiencing treatment emergent adverse events as assessed by CTCAE v5.0; latest 2028-12-31

Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT02600949
    "Personalized Peptide Vaccine in Treating Patients With Advanced Pancreatic Cancer or Colorectal Cancer"; n 300; "Proportion of enrolled patients for whom a personalized vaccine is developed and ready to administer (cohorts A and B)"; 2027-05-31
  • NCT03872947
    "A Study of TRK-950 in Combinations With Anti-Cancer Treatment Regimens in Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors"; n 138; "Frequency of patients experiencing treatment emergent adverse events as assessed by CTCAE v5.0"; 2026-06
  • NCT04808245
    "A MultIceNTER Phase I Peptide VaCcine Trial for the Treatment of H3-Mutated Gliomas"; n 15; "Assessment of safety of repeated fixed dose vaccinations with the H3K27M peptide vaccine administered with radiotherapy and Atezolizumab in patients with H3K27M-mutant gliomas. Primary safety endpoint is the Regime Limiting Toxicity (RLT)."; 2026-11
  • NCT05405270
    "Predicting Response In Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia to Topical Imiquimod Treatment"; n 410; "Confirm association of 'hot signature' immune infiltrates in cHSIL with complete clinical responses to imiquimod"; 2026-12
  • NCT05838599
    "Combining Topical Imiquimod With Local Radiotherapy for Treatment of Mycosis Fungoides"; n 25; "Efficacy of a combination local radiotherapy and topical imiquimod approach for the treatment of conventional (CD4+) MF as measured by mSWAT at week 8."; 2027-12-01
  • NCT06305910
    "CD200AR-L and Allogeneic Tumor Lysate Vaccine Immunotherapy for Recurrent HGG and Newly Diagnosed DMG/DIPG in Children and Young Adults"; n 24; "Maximum Tolerated Dose (MTD) of CD200AR-L"; 2027-01-15
2 further recorded trials
  • NCT06356012
    "Clinical Outcome and Biomarkers for Predicting Immunological Response in Patients Treated with Imiquimod"; n 96; "Number of participants with histological regression of High-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL)"; 2028-12-31
  • NCT07210775
    "Topical Imiquimod Treatment of Oral Dysplasia"; n 20; "Effectiveness by Clinical Response"; 2027-10-01

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Which 48 trials of Imiquimod posted no result?


Posted no result
48 of 48 completed trials
Registrations
NCT00335179, NCT00079300, NCT00204555, NCT00175643, NCT00189254 and NCT00314756, and 42 more
Completion dates
oldest 2003-07; newest 2024-06-21
Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT00335179
    2003-07
  • NCT00079300
    2005-08
  • NCT00204555
    2005-09
  • NCT00175643
    2005-11
  • NCT00189254
    2005-11
  • NCT00314756
    2005-11
14 further recorded trials
  • NCT00257530
    2006-06
  • NCT00118313
    2006-07-28
  • NCT00294320
    2007-01
  • NCT00189241
    2007-02
  • NCT00189280
    2007-10
  • NCT00189293
    2007-12
  • NCT00031759
    2010-02
  • NCT00066872
    2010-04
  • NCT00941811
    2010-05
  • NCT00941252
    2011-01
  • NCT01212562
    2011-08
  • NCT01161888
    2012-03
  • NCT01171469
    2012-06
  • NCT01264731
    2012-06

At the median, Imiquimod's trials enrolled 48 people — anything larger?


Median enrolment
48
Largest enrolment
4446
Registered trials counted
117

What do 445 spontaneous reports say about Imiquimod — and not say?


These are reports people sent to a regulator. They do not show the medicine caused the reaction. Nobody counted how many people took the medicine and reported nothing. The same event can be reported more than once, and many reports are incomplete. News coverage, lawsuits and new warnings change how often people report. A count is not a rate and not a risk.

Imiquimod appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 10 most-reported reaction terms, 445 reaction mentions were counted: erythema 103; pain 59; influenza like illness 50; application site erythema 49. open-targets-adr · CHEMBL1282 · 2026-06-24

Show the evidence
  • erythema
    103
  • pain
    59
  • influenza like illness
    50
  • application site erythema
    49
  • scab
    39
  • oedema
    36
4 more recorded rows
  • chills
    30
  • application site reaction
    27
  • myalgia
    27
  • erythema multiforme
    25

recorded 2026-06-24 · last checked 2026-09-04

What is recorded about Imiquimod and sirtuin?


"Our results found that CAG alleviated autophagy inhibition in the imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like mouse model and enhanced autophagy by upregulating SIRT1 expression." — where Imiquimod and sirtuin appear together. Europe PMC · pathway abstract search · 2026-04-14

sirtuin, autophagy, mTOR, AMPK, NAD+; PMID 41329560, 40862458, 41080153, 41985670

Show the evidence
  • sirtuin PMID 41329560
    "Our results found that CAG alleviated autophagy inhibition in the imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like mouse model and enhanced autophagy by upregulating SIRT1 expression."
  • autophagy PMID 41329560
    "Our results found that CAG alleviated autophagy inhibition in the imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like mouse model and enhanced autophagy by upregulating SIRT1 expression."
  • mTOR PMID 40862458
    "Furthermore, the inhibition of autophagy and AMPK-mTOR pathway could be reversed by trifolirhizin in M5-induced HaCaT keratinocytes and skin lesions from imiquimod-mediated psoriasis-like mouse model."
  • AMPK PMID 40862458
    "Furthermore, the inhibition of autophagy and AMPK-mTOR pathway could be reversed by trifolirhizin in M5-induced HaCaT keratinocytes and skin lesions from imiquimod-mediated psoriasis-like mouse model."

autophagy

  • PMID 40862458
    "Furthermore, the inhibition of autophagy and AMPK-mTOR pathway could be reversed by trifolirhizin in M5-induced HaCaT keratinocytes and skin lesions from imiquimod-mediated psoriasis-like mouse model."
  • PMID 41080153
    "Subsequently, paeoniflorin activated autophagy and upregulated autophagy flux-related protein levels in mice with SLE induced by the TLR-7 agonist imiquimod."
  • mTOR PMID 41080153
    "Paeoniflorin plays a critical neuroprotective role as demonstrated in the TLR-7 agonist imiquimod-induced murine lupus model, mediated through activation of autophagic flux via modulation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling axis."
  • sirtuin PMID 41985670
    "Afterward, the effects of SIRT7 on psoriasis were investigated utilizing an imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like mouse model with KRT5<sup>cre</sup>; SIRT7<sup>fl/fl</sup> and cellular models involving siRNA transfection or overexpression through plasmid."
  • mTOR PMID 40483360
    "KEY MESSAGES: • Exosomes from human placental mesenchymal stem sells demonstrate therapeutic potential against psoriasis. • MicroRNA-100-5p plays a crucial role in mediating the therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cells exosomes in an imiquimod-induced murine psoriasis model, potentially by modulating the mammalian target of rapamycin/S6 kinase 1 pathway."
  • NAD+ PMID 35991005
    "Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of NAD<sup>+</sup>/NADH ratio modulation on imiquimod (IMQ)-induced, psoriasis-like skin inflammation in mice."
  • sirtuin PMID 35991005
    "Moreover, we found that an increase in the NAD<sup>+</sup>/NADH ratio by dunnione restored SIRT1 activity, thereby reduced imiquimod-induced STAT3 acetylation, which modulates the expression of psoriasis-promoting inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-17, IL-22, and IL-23."
  • NAD+ PMID 35991005
    "Moreover, we found that an increase in the NAD<sup>+</sup>/NADH ratio by dunnione restored SIRT1 activity, thereby reduced imiquimod-induced STAT3 acetylation, which modulates the expression of psoriasis-promoting inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-17, IL-22, and IL-23."

recorded 2026-04-14 · last checked 2026-09-04

Where it is registered
Identifiers, relations and other names

The exact record

ChEMBL id
CHEMBL1282
PubChem CID
57469
CAS number
99011-02-6
RxCUI
59943
InChIKey
DOUYETYNHWVLEO-UHFFFAOYSA-N
Trade name
Aldara, Zartra, Zyclara, Zyclara / Aldara
Development code
NSC-369100, NSC-759651, R-837, S-26308, S26308
Also called
Tmx-101, imq, topical imiquimod, IMIQUIMOD [EMA EPAR], IMIQUIMOD [JAN], IMIQUIMOD [MART.], IMIQUIMOD [MI], IMIQUIMOD [ORANGE BOOK], IMIQUIMOD [USAN], IMIQUIMOD [USP MONOGRAPH], IMIQUIMOD [USP-RS], IMIQUIMOD [VANDF]
Sources (10)

Sources

  • ClinicalTrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov ·
  • ClinicalTrials.gov ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 snapshot 2026-09-01T09:00:05 ·
  • this record's own fields 2,3,5 ·
  • Europe PMC dose-response search ·
  • Europe PMC pathway abstract search ·
  • Europe PMC search ·
4 more sources

ChEMBL ATC CC BY-SA · ClinicalTrials.gov — US Government work · Europe PMC — metadata only, under the recorded legal gate · Open Targets 26.06 — CC0 · derived from this page's own recorded fields; no external licence · mixed register set; per-register licences in docs/specs/corpus-20k-sources.md · openFDA / DailyMed — US Government work

How these records are assembled · Which registers were checked

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  • public claims reviewed: 0 reviewed claim(s); drafts are never rendered
  • source coverage passed: 10 source rows
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