The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have granted a permanent J-code (J7354) for YCANTH, the only FDA-approved treatment for molluscum contagiosum.

“By securing a permanent J-Code for YCANTH, we have successfully reached a critical milestone in our commercial strategy that we expect will help us accelerate YCANTH utilization among the U.S. Medicaid and Medicare patient populations,” said Ted White, President and CEO of Verrica Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of YCANTH, in a news release. “In addition to greater patient access, we also anticipate a permanent J-Code will result in a more streamlined billing and reimbursement process for YCANTH.”

J-Codes are a type of HCPCS Level II code typically used for the designation of non-orally administrated drugs and other medical devices. A proprietary drug-device combination, YCANTH consists of a GMP-controlled formulation of cantharidin delivered using a single-use applicator for precise topical dosing. The J-Code for YCANTH will be fully published under the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) on April 1, 2024.