Safety and Efficacy of Merlin (Ethanol and Glycolic Acid Mixture) for the Treatment of Cold Sores
Public ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT01985321. Field values are reproduced from the official study page; the official ClinicalTrials.gov record remains the source of truth for eligibility, enrollment, and contact information.
Data is sourced from official ClinicalTrials.gov public API records. Always review the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for the latest information.
Official title
A Multicenter, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized, Double-Blind Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Merlin (Ethanol and Glycolic Acid Mixture) for the Episodic Treatment of Recurrent Herpes Labialis
Brief summary
Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.
The purpose of this study is to determine if Merlin, a mixture of ethanol and glycolic acid, is safe and effective in the treatment of cold sores. Subjects who meet the requirements to participate in the study will be put randomly, and equally, into one of two groups: 1) a group receiving Merlin to treat their cold sore; or 2)a group receiving a placebo of just ethanol to treat their cold sore. Neither the subject nor the site will know which treatment they will be getting. Once the subject has been assigned to a treatment group, they will be given a kit containing a bottle of the treatment and special swabs to apply the liquid. The subject will be told to take the kit home and wait until they think they are starting to get a cold sore. Once a subject begins to feel something or see something that they think is the start of a cold sore, they are to immediately call the clinic. Once the clinic confirms that the subject is in fact starting to get a cold sore, the subject will be told to open the kit and begin treatment. From the start of treatment, there will be twelve (12) treatments, with either Merlin or placebo, applied six (6) hours apart, up to 3 per day, over the next 96 hours (4 days). Each treatment of Merlin or placebo is made up of three (3) applications given twenty (20) minutes apart, for a total of thirty-six (36) applications. FOr each application, the subject will use the special swab to put the Merlin or placebo solution on their cold sore. Subjects will need to report daily to the clinic for a minimum of 3 consecutive days, until either the cold sore is completely healed or 14 days from the start of treatment, whichever comes first. At each clinic visit the cold sore will be observed to determine at what stage it is at or if it has healed. The subject will also be asked how they are feeling. Subjects will also be told to record in a diary the time of each application of Merlin or placebo. They will also be asked to record how much pain, if any, related to the cold sore, that they are feeling.
Study identification
- NCT ID
- NCT01985321
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 2
- Enrollment
- 469 participants
Conditions and interventions
Conditions
Eligibility (public fields only)
- Age range
- 18 Years to 75 Years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Healthy volunteers not accepted
This page does not interpret eligibility. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are on the official ClinicalTrials.gov record.
Study timeline
- Start date
- Nov 2013 (Type not available)
- Primary completion
- Mar 2014 (Actual)
- Completion
- Jul 2014 (Actual)
- Last update posted
- Jul 16, 2015
2013 – 2014
United States locations
- U.S. sites
- 8
- U.S. states
- 7
- U.S. cities
- 8
| Facility | City | State | ZIP | Site status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Radiant Research | Santa Rosa | California | 95405 | — |
| Radiant Research | Pinellas Park | Florida | 33781 | — |
| Radiant Research | Chicago | Illinois | 60654 | — |
| Radiant Research | Edina | Minnesota | 55435 | — |
| Radiant Research | St Louis | Missouri | 63141 | — |
| Radiant Research | Akron | Ohio | 44311 | — |
| Radiant Research | Cincinnati | Ohio | 45249 | — |
| Radiant Reserach | Dallas | Texas | 75231 | — |
Site contact phone numbers, emails, and investigator names are intentionally not displayed here. Open the official ClinicalTrials.gov record for site contact information.
About this trial record page
- What this page shows
- Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT01985321, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.
- What this page does not do
- No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.
- Where the data comes from
- Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.
- Last refresh
- Last update posted Jul 16, 2015 · Synced Oct 22, 2026
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Open the official record
The complete public registry record, listed eligibility criteria, and available contact information for NCT01985321 live on ClinicalTrials.gov.