Potential role for a new combination topical therapy in treating mild to moderate acne vulgaris

Although a variety of established topical therapies are available to treat acne, treatment success is not always achieved with current preparations. Moreover, many patients find the formulations less than fully acceptable for various reasons. A new gel that stably combines 5% benzoyl peroxide and 1% clindamycin has become available to treat mild to moderately severe inflammatory acne. There are several benefits associated with this new topical combination product: cosmetic and aesthetic acceptability to patients; limited degradation of the antibiotic by the highly reactive benzoyl peroxide component when stored according to label instructions; less irritation and drying than alcohol-based preparations; and rapid onset of action, producing a bactericidal effect after just 1 week of twice-daily use and significant clinical improvements compared with clindamycin and vehicle gels within 2 weeks. Moreover, the decreased development of antibiotic-resistant strains of Propionibacterium acnes demonstrated with the combination gel may prolong treatment efficacy.