New hope for melasma: common diabetes drug may lighten dark patches
NCT ID NCT07495748
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a metformin cream or a tranexamic acid cream works better for treating melasma, a skin condition causing dark patches on the face. Seventy adults with melasma will apply one of the creams daily for 12 weeks, along with sunscreen. The main goal is to see which cream reduces the size and darkness of the patches more effectively.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 70 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Jul 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 50 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Patients aged 18-50 years * Clinically diagnosed facial melasma * Both genders * Patients willing to give informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * • Pregnant or lactating women * Patients using systemic or topical melasma treatments in the previous 4 weeks * Known hypersensitivity to study medications * Presence of other facial dermatoses * History of photosensitivity disorders
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Fauji Foundation Hospital, Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi, Punjab Province, 44000, Pakistan
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can stem cell exosomes fade melasma patches?
- Can a simple pill make melasma creams work better?
- Can a two-acid cream fade stubborn melasma?
- Can sunscreen do more than protect? study tests if it fades dark spots
- New cream trio aims to outshine standard melasma treatment
- Can sound waves clear up skin? new trial tests ultrasound for pigment and rosacea