Comparative evaluation of effectiveness of adapalene and azithromycin, alone or in combination, in acne vulgaris

Abstract

Introduction: Acne vulgaris, a disorder of the pilosebaceous structure, is a common disorder in adolescents and young adults that is associated with significant morbidity. Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of the drugs adapalene and azithromycin, given separately and in combination in acne vulgaris. Methodology: A total of 61 newly attending cases of inflammatory acne vulgaris were considered the study. They were randomly allocated into three groups. Group 1 received topical adapalene (0.01%) gel, group 2 received oral azithromycin, whereas group 3 was given a combination of these two. The patients were treated for a period of 12 weeks, being reviewed every fortnightly. The results obtained were analyzed in detail using statistical methods. Results: The combination of adapalene and azithromycin caused the highest reduction in the inflamed lesion count followed by azithromycin given singly. Further, monotherapy with adapalene was used. However, this difference in efficacy was small and not statistically significant ( P = 0.717). Azithromycin lead to a rapid reduction in the inflammatory lesion count, but it had negligible action on noninflamed lesions. Conclusion: At the end of 12 weeks of treatment, the three treatment groups showed no statistically significant difference in the efficacy in inflammatory acne.

Keywords

• <i>Acne
• adapalene
• azithromycin
• inflammatory</i>