Acne Vulgaris Discussions and Research

Epiduo, a new once-a-day prescription gel that combines adapalen and benzoyl peroxide for the topical treatment of mild-to-moderate acne, is now on pharmacy shelves. The gel, which is marketed by Galderma Laboratories, received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval late last year.

Both the retinoid adapalen and the antimicrobial benzoyl peroxide have a long history of being used separately to treat acne. Studies have shown that the two treatments are more effective when combined than when either is used alone, reducing total acne lesions by about 18% as early as one week after the start of treatment.

Last year, a 517-patient study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology reported that Epiduo reduced the median number of total acne lesions by more than 50% over a 12-week period. Another study published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology reported that the discontinuation rate of the medication due to adverse events was a low 2%.

Common side effects include dryness, redness, scaling, stinging, and burning.  When using the medication, patients should minimize their exposure to sunlight and other skin products that contain resorcinol, salicyclic acid and sulfer.

Source: FDA: Label and Approval History: Epiduo.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 10th, 2009 at 2:45 pm and is filed under Lotions and Potions. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.