Tazarotene cream versus adapalene cream in the treatment of facial acne vulgaris: a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group study.

A multicenter, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group trial compared tazarotene 0.1% cream with adapalene 0.1% cream, once daily for 12 weeks, in 173 patients with facial acne vulgaris. Tazarotene was associated with a significantly greater incidence of patients achieving 50% or greater global improvement (77% vs. 55%, P < or = .01), and a significantly greater reduction in comedo count (median of 68% vs. 36%, P < or =.001, compared with adapalene. A significant between-group difference in baseline inflammatory lesion count precluded a comparison of efficacy against inflammatory acne. The most common adverse events were dryness, peeling/flaking, itching, redness/erythema, burning, and facial irritation with comparable incidences of each between groups. Mean peeling and burning levels were milder with adapalene, though were trace or less in both groups throughout. There were no significant between-group differences in the incidence of patients discontinuing due to lack of efficacy or adverse events. Tazarotene cream offers significantly greater efficacy and comparable tolerability to adapalene cream.

Comparison of treatment of acne vulgaris with alternate-day applications of tazarotene 0.1% gel and once-daily applications of adapalene 0.1% gel: a randomized trial.

Tazarotene and adapalene are recently introduced topical retinoids that are useful in the treatment of acne vulgaris. The clinical benefits of each drug have now been compared in a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group study involving 164 patients with mild-to-moderate facial acne vulgaris. Patients were randomized to receive 15 weeks' treatment with alternate-day tazarotene 0.1% gel, with vehicle gel on the intervening evenings, or once-daily adapalene 0.1% gel. Both regimens were comparably effective with no significant between-group differences in efficacy measures. A total of 74% of tazarotene-treated subjects and 73% of adapalene-treated subjects achieved at least a 50% improvement in their acne. In addition, there were no clinically significant differences in tolerability. It is concluded that an alternate-day tazarotene regimen offers efficacy and thus tazarotene treatment can be useful even in patients whose compliance may be suboptimal. An alternate-day regimen also offers the potential for considerable savings in drug costs.

Tazarotene versus tretinoin or adapalene in the treatment of acne vulgaris.

The efficacy and tolerability of tazarotene 0.1% gel in the treatment of acne vulgaris have been compared with those of tretinoin 0.025% gel and adapalene 0.1% gel in multicenter, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group trials. Preliminary results from the tazarotene versus tretinoin trial suggest that once-daily tazarotene is more efficacious than once-daily tretinoin in reducing the numbers of papules and open comedones, and achieves a more rapid reduction in pustules. Both drugs appear to be equally efficacious against closed comedones. Preliminary results from the tazarotene versus adapalene trial suggest that, when tazarotene is applied only half as frequently as adapalene (every other day versus every day), the two drugs achieve comparable reductions in noninflammatory and inflammatory lesion counts. The results from these studies, and a separate split-face tolerability study, suggest that the tolerability of tazarotene gel is clinically comparable to that of tretinoin 0.025% gel, tretinoin 0.1% gel microsphere, and adapalene 0.1% gel.

Azelaic acid and glycolic acid combination therapy for facial hyperpigmentation in darker-skinned patients: a clinical comparison with hydroquinone.

This multicenter, randomized, double-masked, parallel-group, 24-week clinical study compared the efficacy of the combination of azelaic acid 20% cream and glycolic acid 15% or 20% lotion with hydroquinone 4% in the treatment of facial hyperpigmentation in darker-skinned patients. At week 24, overall improvement and reduction in lesion area, pigmentary intensity, and disease severity were comparable in the two treatment groups. At some visits, patients treated with an azelaic/glycolic acid combination had slightly greater levels of peeling, burning, stinging, or dryness than did patients treated with hydroquinone, although scores for cutaneous signs and symptoms were always low. The present study demonstrated that the combination of azelaic acid 20% cream and glycolic acid 15% or 20% lotion was as effective as hydroquinone 4% cream in the treatment of hyperpigmentation in darker-skinned patients, with only a slightly higher rate of mild local irritation. These findings suggest that the addition of glycolic acid to azelaic acid treatment for hyperpigmentation is an appropriate alternative in selected darker-skinned patients.