A new rosacea treatment or just the same old Metrogel
Last Updated: 2003-11-17 16:00:20 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For people with the skin condition rosacea, a new formulation of an old acne drug relieves symptoms more effectively than a commonly used treatment, researchers report.
In a head-to-head study, people who used the new gel (Finacea, Berlex Laboratories) experienced a greater reduction in rosacea lesions than people treated with the older gel (Metrogel, Galderma Laboratories). Redness also diminished more in people taking Finacea, researchers report in the latest issue of the journal Archives of Dermatology.
The authors received financial compensation from Berlex Laboratories, which makes Finacea. In January 2003, the Food and Drug Administration approved Finacea for treating mild to moderate rosacea.
Rosacea is a common skin condition that is characterized by redness on the nose and cheeks. This redness often occurs after physical activity. Other symptoms include pimple-like lesions and a swollen nose.
Antibiotic ointments may help relieve some symptoms. And a drug called metronidazole - the active ingredient in Metrogel - can alleviate some symptoms of the skin condition.
Previous studies have shown that azelaic acid, a common treatment for acne, is better than a dummy placebo for rosacea. Finacea is an azelaic-acid gel that was designed specifically to treat rosacea.
In the new study, Dr. Boni E. Elewski of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and colleagues compared Finacea and Metrogel in 251 patients with rosacea. Volunteers were randomly assigned to use the azelaic acid gel or the metronidazole gel twice a day for 15 weeks.
Rosacea improved in both groups, but the improvements were greater in people using the azelaic acid gel, Elewski's team reports.
Rosacea-related lesions were reduced significantly more in the azelaic acid gel group. And while the lesion-reducing benefits of metronidazole seemed to plateau after 8 weeks, the number of lesions continued to drop throughout the study in the azelaic acid group.
Facial redness also improved in both groups, but the changes were more pronounced in people using the azelaic acid gel. The severity of redness improved in 56 percent of people using azelaic acid compared to 42 percent of those in the metronidazole group.
None of the participants experienced any severe side effects. More people using the azelaic acid gel stopped treatment or switched to a lower dose than people using the older rosacea treatment, although the numbers were small.
Galderma Laboratories, the Forth Worth, Texas-based company that makes Metrogel, did not respond to the finding by press time.
SOURCE: Archives of Dermatology, November 2003.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - For people with the skin condition rosacea, a new formulation of an old acne drug relieves symptoms more effectively than a commonly used treatment, researchers report.
In a head-to-head study, people who used the new gel (Finacea, Berlex Laboratories) experienced a greater reduction in rosacea lesions than people treated with the older gel (Metrogel, Galderma Laboratories). Redness also diminished more in people taking Finacea, researchers report in the latest issue of the journal Archives of Dermatology.
The authors received financial compensation from Berlex Laboratories, which makes Finacea. In January 2003, the Food and Drug Administration approved Finacea for treating mild to moderate rosacea.
Rosacea is a common skin condition that is characterized by redness on the nose and cheeks. This redness often occurs after physical activity. Other symptoms include pimple-like lesions and a swollen nose.
Antibiotic ointments may help relieve some symptoms. And a drug called metronidazole - the active ingredient in Metrogel - can alleviate some symptoms of the skin condition.
Previous studies have shown that azelaic acid, a common treatment for acne, is better than a dummy placebo for rosacea. Finacea is an azelaic-acid gel that was designed specifically to treat rosacea.
In the new study, Dr. Boni E. Elewski of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and colleagues compared Finacea and Metrogel in 251 patients with rosacea. Volunteers were randomly assigned to use the azelaic acid gel or the metronidazole gel twice a day for 15 weeks.
Rosacea improved in both groups, but the improvements were greater in people using the azelaic acid gel, Elewski's team reports.
Rosacea-related lesions were reduced significantly more in the azelaic acid gel group. And while the lesion-reducing benefits of metronidazole seemed to plateau after 8 weeks, the number of lesions continued to drop throughout the study in the azelaic acid group.
Facial redness also improved in both groups, but the changes were more pronounced in people using the azelaic acid gel. The severity of redness improved in 56 percent of people using azelaic acid compared to 42 percent of those in the metronidazole group.
None of the participants experienced any severe side effects. More people using the azelaic acid gel stopped treatment or switched to a lower dose than people using the older rosacea treatment, although the numbers were small.
Galderma Laboratories, the Forth Worth, Texas-based company that makes Metrogel, did not respond to the finding by press time.
SOURCE: Archives of Dermatology, November 2003.
posted by Thomas Domingo | 12:40 PM
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