Compliance among adults and adolescents with acne vulgaris may improve with once-a-day clindamycin foam, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
The new product may be particularly useful for patients with mild to moderate acne on their shoulders, chest, or back, Lawrence Eichenfield, M.D., said.
Clindamycin phosphate foam 1% (Evoclin Foam, Connetics Corp.) is approved for topical treatment of acne vulgaris in patients aged 12 years and older.
Patients should be instructed to wash affected areas with soap and water, then allow the skin to dry. The recommended dosage is once daily for 12 weeks, Dr. Eichenfield said.
In a randomized, double-blind, multicenter clinical trial of more than 1,000 patients, mild to moderate adverse reactions included application-site reactions--burning, itching, and dryness--and headache.
Clindamycin is contraindicated in patients with a history of regional enteritis, ulcerative colitis, antibiotic-associated colitis, or hypersensitivity to preparations containing clindamycin or lincomycin.
In a study that compared 386 patients applying clindamycin phosphate foam 1% with 385 patients using clindamycin phosphate gel 1%, clindamycin foam reduced total acne lesions by 43%, whereas the gel was associated with a 36% reduction.
There were also 127 patients using vehicle-only foam who experienced a 31% reduction in total lesions.
Although clindamycin can be prescribed as monotherapy for mild to moderate cases, combination with benzoyl peroxide or a retinoid are alternatives.
"Having a once-a-day clindamycin is useful for patients with moderate disease where we can pair clindamycin with [a] once-a-day retinoid," said Dr. Eichenfield, clinical professor of pediatrics and dermatology, University of California, San Diego, and chief of pediatric and adolescent dermatology, Children's Hospital of San Diego.
The hospital was one of the investigational sites for clinical studies. Dr. Eichenfield serves on a Connetics advisory board, but stated that he has no financial interest in the company.
Evoclin is unique because of its proprietary VersaFoam vehicle, he said. The foam spreads easily on all body surfaces, and might be particularly helpful for improving compliance among patients who had adherence issues with traditional formulations, including adolescents with acne on their shoulders, chest, and back.
BY DAMIAN MCNAMARA
Miami Bureau
COPYRIGHT 2005 International Medical News Group
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group
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