Retinoids

Tretinoin, also known as 'all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA'), is a medication used for the treatment of acne and acute promyelocytic leukemia. For acne, it is applied to the skin as a cream, gel or ointment. For acute promyelocytic leukemia, it is effective only when the RARA-PML fusion mutation is present and is taken by mouth for up to three months. Topical tretinoin is also the most extensively investigated retinoid therapy for photoaging.

Acitretin, sold under the brand names Neotigason and Soriatane, is a second-generation retinoid. It is taken orally, and is typically used for psoriasis. It was approved for medical use in the United States in 1996.

thumb|Adapalene Gel, sold as trade name Differin in China

thumb|upright|230px|1st, 2nd, 3rd-generation retinoid compounds

Alitretinoin, or 9-cis-retinoic acid, is a form of vitamin A. It is also used in medicine as an antineoplastic (anti-cancer) agent developed by Ligand Pharmaceuticals. It is a first generation retinoid. Ligand gained Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for alitretinoin in February 1999.

Bexarotene, sold under the brand Targretin, is an antineoplastic (anti-cancer) agent used for the treatment of cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL). It is a third-generation retinoid.

Tazarotene, sold under the brand name Tazorac, among others, is a third-generation prescription topical retinoid. It is primarily used for the treatment of plaque psoriasis and acne. Tazarotene is also used as a therapeutic for photoaged and photodamaged skin. It is a member of the acetylenic class of retinoids.

Etretinate (trade name Tegison) is a medication developed by Hoffmann–La Roche that was approved by the FDA in 1986 to treat severe psoriasis. It is a second-generation retinoid. It was subsequently removed from the Canadian market in 1996 and the United States market in 1998 due to the high risk of birth defects. It remains on the market in Japan as Tigason.

Trifarotene, sold under the brand name Aklief, is a medication for the topical treatment of acne vulgaris. It is a retinoid; specifically, a fourth-generation selective retinoic acid receptor (RAR)-γ agonist.

chemical compound

Fenretinide (INN; also known as '''N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide and 4-HPR''') is a synthetic retinoid derivative. Retinoids are substances related to vitamin A. It has been investigated for potential use in the treatment of cancer, as well as in the treatment of cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, acne, psoriasis, and has been found to also slow the production and accumulation of a toxin that leads to vision loss in Stargardt's patients.

Tamibarotene (brand name: Amnolake), also called retinobenzoic acid, is orally active, synthetic retinoid, developed to overcome all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) resistance, with potential antineoplastic activity against acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) . It is currently marketed only in Japan and early trials have demonstrated that it tends to be better tolerated than ATRA. Tamibarotene has been tested in many other cancer types, including Acute Myeloid Leukemia where it shows no benefit, and lung cancer, where it accelerated the cancer growth and increased mortality.

Pelretin is a synthetic retinoid. It was tested in the 1980s on animals in the hope that it could be used to eliminate wrinkles.