New gene therapy gel is the 1st approved treatment for rare and painful 'butterfly disease'

photo shows the gloved hands of a nurse wrapping a child's foot in gauze and bandages; the child's exposed ankle has patches of discoloration and skin wounding

A new gene therapy gel is the first-ever approved treatment for the most severe forms of "butterfly disease," a rare and painful skin blistering condition, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Friday (May 19).

Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DEB) is a genetic condition that makes skin prone to blisters and chronic, painful wounds. The wounds raise the risk of life-threatening infections, limb deformities and a skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma.