Randomized comparison of the safety and efficacy of tazarotene 0.1% cream and adapalene 0.3% gel in the treatment of patients with at least moderate facial acne vulgaris.

This 16-week study evaluated once-daily tazarotene 0.1% cream and adapalene 0.3% gel in patients with moderate-to-severe acne. Patients treated with tazarotene 0.1% cream performed better in many acne efficacy measures (reduction in lesion counts, percentage of patients achieving a 50 percent lesion count reduction, overall disease severity, investigator's global assessment) than did patients treated with adapalene 0.3% gel. Reduction in postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) was also significantly greater with tazarotene 0.1% cream than with adapalene 0.3% gel (P < or = 0.018). Irritation was infrequent, generally mild and similar between treatment groups. In conclusion, both tazarotene 0.1% cream and adapalene 0.3% gel were effective and well tolerated in patients with at least moderate acne. Tazarotene 0.1% cream appeared to be more effective and nearly as well tolerated as adapalene 0.3% gel in reducing acne lesions and was more effective than adapalene 0.3% gel in reducing PIH.