Review of Tretinoin-Benzoyl Peroxide in The Treatment of Acne Vulgaris.

BACKGROUND

Acne vulgaris has a multifactorial pathogenesis, and combination therapy is recommended in most patients. A tretinoin 0.1%/benzoyl peroxide 3% (Tret-BPO) cream which uses a core-shell encapsulation system to enhance the stability of both active ingredients recently received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

OBJECTIVE

To review the pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety of recently approved Tret-BPO.

METHODS

A review of literature was conducted using the EMBASE, MEDLINE (Pubmed), and Clinicaltrials.gov databases in December 2021. Articles in English discussing the use of Tret-BPO in the treatment of acne vulgaris were included.

RESULTS

In a phase 2 trial, Tret-BPO achieved Investigators Global Assessment (IGA) success more often (39.7%) than vehicle (12.3%; P<0.001). In 2 phase 3 trials, Tret-BPO had a higher success rate (Trial 1: 38.5% and Trial 2: 25.4%) when compared with vehicle (Trial 1: 11.5% and Trial 2: 14.7%; P<0.001 and P=0.017).

LIMITATION: This review was limited by the lack of clinical trials assessing the efficacy and safety of Tret-BPO compared with other acne treatments.

CONCLUSIONS

Tret-BPO is a safe and effective novel therapy for acne vulgaris. Poor adherence is a major hurdle in management; the combination of two separate first-line drugs may address this hurdle by decreasing the complexity of treatment regimens. J Drugs Dermatol. 2022;21(10):1098-1103. doi:10.36849/JDD.6808.