Fluorouracil Cream (Efudix 5%) is a topical medication used to treat actinic or solar keratoses (scaly or crusted lesions caused by years of too much exposure to sunlight) and a type of skin cancer called superficial basal cell carcinoma if usual types of treatment cannot be used. It is an antimetabolite that works by killing fast-growing cells, such as the abnormal cells in actinic keratoses and basal cell carcinoma.
Positive effects of Fluorouracil Cream have been observed in in vitro and in vivo tests for the active ingredient fluorouracil. The cream is effective in treating actinic or solar keratoses and superficial basal cell carcinoma, providing a non-invasive option for patients.
Negative effects of Fluorouracil Cream may include exacerbations of the normal pattern of response, allergic-type skin reactions, and reactions related to systemic drug toxicity, although these are very rarely reported. The most frequently reported reactions are associated with the pharmacological activity of fluorouracil on the skin.
Ingredients or materials in Fluorouracil 5% Topical Cream (Efudix 5%) include:
- 5% fluorouracil as the active ingredient
- A vanishing cream base consisting of methylparaben, polysorbate 60, propylene glycol, and propylparaben
- Inactive ingredients in Fluorouracil Cream USP, 0.5% (Microsphere) include a porous microsphere composed of methyl methacrylate/glycol dimethacrylate crosspolymer and dimethicone
- The cream formulation of Fluorouracil Cream USP, 0.5% (Microsphere) contains other inactive ingredients not specified in the search results
- Efudix 5% cream is a white, opaque cream
