Single-dose tioconazole compared with 3-day clotrimazole treatment in vulvovaginal candidiasis

A total of 80 patients were equally randomized to receive a single dose of 6.5% tioconazole ointment or a 3-day course of 100-mg clotrimazole vaginal tablets for the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis. Of the 32 evaluable patients treated with tioconazole, 27 (84%) remained asymptomatic 4 weeks posttreatment, compared with 28 of 33 patients (85%) treated with clotrimazole. A total of 34 patients in each group could be evaluated for mycological response based on culture results 1 and 4 weeks after treatment. Twenty patients (59%) who received tioconazole and twenty-one patients (62%) who received clotrimazole remained culture negative 4 weeks after therapy. Of 40 patients who received tioconazole, 12 (30%) experienced local irritation or itching, compared with 2 of 40 patients (5%) treated with clotrimazole (P less than 0.01). Single-dose tioconazole ointment was as effective as a 3-day course of clotrimazole tablets, but significantly more patients in the tioconazole-treated group experienced local side effects.