Adapalene Gel Effective Against Acne

Adapalene gel 0.3% is safe and effective for the treatment of acne vulgaris, results of a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology suggest.

Researchers compared the safety and efficacy of adapalene gel 0.3%, adapalene gel 0.1%, and gel vehicle.

A total of 653 acne patients at least 12 years of age with 20 to 100 noninflammatory acne lesions, 20 to 50 inflammatory acne lesions, and no nodules or cysts were included.
The primary efficacy measures were success rate -- percent of patients rated "clear" or "almost clear" on the Investigators Global Assessment (IGA) -- and the percent acne lesion reduction from baseline for total, inflammatory, and noninflammatory lesions.

The researchers, led by Dr. Michael Graeber, of Galderma Research and Development, Cranbury, New Jersey, report that adapalene gel 0.3% was significantly superior to the other two treatments in success rate, total lesion count, and inflammatory acne lesion count.

Treatment-related adverse events were reported by 22% of patients in the adapalene gel 0.3% group, 12% of those in the adapalene gel 0.1% group, and 4.5% of those in the vehicle gel group.

The most common side effect were dry skin and skin discomfort.

Patients in both adapalene gel treatment groups had a similar incidence of erythema. Erythema, scaling, dryness, and stinging/burning were mostly mild or moderate and were transient in duration.

"The results of this study have implications for the management of acne vulgaris," the authors write.