Contact sensitizers (immunotherapy)

• Contact sensitizers attack the virus that causes the wart.
• One review of studies reports that the sensitizer DNCB removed warts in 80% of the people using it, compared to 38% in people using a placebo.¹

• Contact sensitizers have potential for causing severe allergic reaction.
• They are not widely used because of cost and risks to doctors.
• They are not recommended for pregnant women.

Imiquimod (immunotherapy)

• Imiquimod is applied at home.
• It is considered effective treatment for genital warts and is being used more in other types of warts.
• It attacks the virus that causes the wart.

• There is little information on its effectiveness for nongenital warts.
• It can cause relatively mild skin irritation, burning, and blistering.
• It is expensive.

Interferon injection (immunotherapy)

• Interferon attacks the virus that causes the wart.

• Interferon is usually injected into the wart.
• It is considered experimental and is not widely available.

Bleomycin injection

• Bleomycin is injected into warts that have been resistant to other treatments.

• There is no consistent evidence of bleomycin's effectiveness.²
• It causes pain during and after injection into a wart, and is usually used as a last resort.
• It can cause scarring, nail damage, and skin color changes.
• It is expensive.
• It is toxic and not recommended for children and pregnant women.