Adapalene 0.3% for the treatment of acne in women

Acne vulgaris is characterized by comedones, papules, pustules, and secondary lesions. Historically, it has been considered a disease primarily affecting adolescents, but recent reports over the past three decades suggest an increasing prevalence in adults, particularly women. Adapalene was developed for the topical treatment of acne. Adapalene (6-[3-(l-adamantyl)-4-methoxyphenyl]-2-naphthoic acid) is a synthetic naphthoic acid derivative with potent retinoid activity including the reversal of the abnormal follicular keratinization and microcomedo formation and decreasing inflammatory lesions. Design/objective: In this analysis, data from two studies comparing adapalene gel 0.3% to vehicle gel were combined and evaluated for change in lesion counts and Investigator's Global Assessment of success rates in adult female subjects ages 18 to 41 years with acne vulgaris.

The results showed a statistically significant difference favoring adapalene gel 0.3% for reduction in total lesion count at Week 12 (P=0.045). Additionally, median reduction for inflammatory lesions (-61%) and noninflammatory lesions (-51%) also favored adapalene. In addition, adapalene gel, 0.3% was well tolerated with similar tolerability compared to adapalene gel 0.1%; the most common treatment-related adverse events were skin discomfort and dry skin. There were no reported serious adverse events in any group.

In this subgroup analysis, adapalene gel 0.3% proved effective and well tolerated in adult women with acne vulgaris.