A Study of the Effectiveness in the Treatment of Mild to Moderate Severity Acne with Adapalene-benzoyl Peroxide Fixed-dose Combination Gel (Epiduo(R)) / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: A fixed-dose combination gel with adapalene 0.1% and benzoyl peroxide (BPO) 2.5% has been developed for once-daily treatment of acne. It is known to be effective to reduce inflammatory and non-inflammatory lesions, but there have been no study in Korean yet. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adapalene 0.1%-BPO 2.5% fixed-dose combination gel (adapalene-BPO) for the treatment of mild to moderate severity acne in Korean. METHODS: In total, 64 patients with mild to moderate severity acne were enrolled. Adapalene-BPO was applied to face once daily at night. The efficacy assessment was performed at baseline and monthly for 3 months inflammatory lesions (IL), non-inflammatory lesions (NIL), total lesions (TL) were counted and median percentage changes of each lesion were measured for 3 months with patient satisfaction and adverse events questionnaire. RESULTS: Of the 64 patients enrolled, 58 have completed 3-month treatments. Adapalene-BPO showed early onset of action with significant reduction in inflammatory, non-inflammatory, and total lesion counts. The median percentage reduction of mild group from baseline to 3rd month was greater than moderate group in IL, NIL, and TL counts (71.1% vs 65%/61.4% vs 56.4%/67.7% vs 62% reduction). Also, patient satisfaction score improved and significant reduction of Korea Acne Grading System (KAGS) was noted in both groups. All the reported adverse events were mild. CONCLUSION: This study shows that adapalene-BPO is an effective and safe treatment regimen for both mild and moderate acne. It has a better effect for treating mild severity acne than moderate acne with reduction of the IL, NIL, and TL counts and greater patient satisfaction.