Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Share by Email
Print
Treatment with a clindamycin phosphate 1.2% and benzoyl peroxide 3.75% gel (CL-BP 3.75%) results in significant reductions in the severity of facial acne, postinflammatory hyperpigmentation, and lesion counts for patients with Fitzpatrick Skin Types V and VI, with excellent tolerability, according to a study published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology.
Acne is the most common skin disease for patients with darker skin and frequently leads to postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. For this open-label study, 20 patients with Fitzpatrick Skin Type V or VI who had moderate facial acne were treated for 16 weeks with CL-BP 3.75% once daily. End point assessments included improvements in acne severity according to Investigator Global Assessment (IGA), as well as lesion count reductions and improvements in postinflammatory hyperpigmentation severity and distribution.
Compared with baseline, significant reductions in noninflammatory, inflammatory, and total lesions were seen in the first 4 weeks of treatment with CL-BP 3.75%. By week 16, percentage reductions from baseline lesions were 62% for noninflammatory, 76% for inflammatory, and 71% for total lesions (P ≤.002 for all), with 70% of patients showing a clear or almost clear IGA score and all patients showing at least 1 grade of IGA improvement (P =.0001).
Distribution and severity of postinflammatory hyperpigmentation were also significantly reduced by the end of the study, with 40% rated as none or slight in severity. A total of 21 adverse events were experienced by 10 patients, none of which were serious.
Study investigators concluded that “[t]opical treatment with a fixed combination clindamycin phosphate 1.2%/BP 3.75% gel affords significant improvement in acne severity, and PIH severity and distribution, without any clinically significant skin irritation in patients with Fitzpatrick skin type V and VI. Double-blind, randomized studies with larger numbers that specifically look at the treatment of acne in this increasingly important population are needed to provide additional insights into specific management challenges.”
Disclosures: Leon Kircik, MD has served either as a consultant, advisor, speaker, or investigator for Ortho Dermatologics.
Reference
Amar L, Kircik LH. Treatment of moderate acne vulgaris in Fitzpatrick Skin Type V or VI: efficacy and tolerability of fixed combination clindamycin phosphate 1.2%/benzoyl peroxide 3.75% gel. J Drugs Dermatol. 2018;17(10):1107-1112.
