Oct. 20, 2009 (Business Wire) -- Dermatologists agree that topical fixed-combination products containing clindamycin (clin) and benzoyl peroxide (BPO) are effective in the treatment of acne. However, products containing BPO concentrations at 5% or higher may limit use due to associated dryness and irritation in some patients.

A poster describing a new study of an optimized once-daily fixed combination of clindamycin phosphate 1.2% and BPO 2.5% (clin-BPO 2.5%) was presented at the Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference in Las Vegas and showed that the clin-BPO 2.5% formulation maintains skin hydration and does not damage the skin barrier.

The objective of this study was to compare the effects of clin-BPO 2.5% and clin-BPO 5% on epidermal functions and irritation. The single-center, randomized, controlled observer-blind study enrolled 22 subjects (4 male and 18 female, ages 21-77, mean 45.6 years) with healthy volar forearm skin. Test fields on the volar forearms were treated non-occlusively with 50 μl (50 mg) of once-daily clin-BPO 2.5% (Acanya^® Gel) and twice-daily clin-BPO 5% (BenzaClin^® Topical Gel) according to the dosage and administration sections of each product’s respective package insert and applied by study site personnel. All subjects received the same treatments during an 11-day treatment period. An additional untreated test field served as a control. Measurements assessing the skin barrier and skin hydration were performed.

The study demonstrated that once-daily clin-BPO 2.5% was superior in maintaining skin hydration than twice daily clin-BPO 5%. A statistically significant decrease in skin hydration was seen with clin-BPO 5% reflecting a drying effect. Clin-BPO 2.5% revealed no relevant irritant effect or significant negative influence on skin hydration and no evidence of epidermal barrier impairment.

In clinical studies in over 2800 acne patients, the optimized once-daily fixed combination of clindamycin phosphate 1.2% and BPO 2.5% (clin-BPO 2.5%) was shown effective in reducing inflammatory and noninflammatory lesions in patients with moderate to severe acne and had minimal local cutaneous side effects.

About Acne Vulgaris

Acne vulgaris is a common skin disorder affecting 40 to 50 million Americans, or approximately 85 percent of people at some point in their lives. The disorder is thought to be caused by overproduction of sebum, a normal oily substance on the skin surface, combined with skin cells abnormally shed from the hair follicle, and skin bacteria, Propionibacterium acnes, resulting in inflammation in the skin in the form of acne. Combination therapies targeting multiple pathogenic factors of acne are among the most commonly prescribed acne treatments.