Acne Treatments Evaluated
May 13, 2001
Despite extensive research on the topic, doctors are still under equipped with medical information concerning the best treatment for acne sufferers. This information comes from a new analysis of over 250 studies of acne treatments.
One reason doctors have so little information is because few studies directly compare different types of treatments in different groups of patients. Of the 250 acne sufferers studied, researchers for the US Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) found that only 14 trials provided "moderate to strong statistical evidence" for a clinically meaningful outcome. The AHRQ found that other trials were conducted poorly or produced little or no evidence about which type of acne treatment was most helpful. Most studies that are completed are used for gaining Food and Drug Administration approval, not for helping doctors determine acne treatments.
The AHRQ, the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Pharmaceutical Association, the Cochrane Collaboration, the departments of dermatology and pediatrics at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and the Society for Investigational Dermatology have all come together to analyze the acne research. The group has found that some treatments worked more effectively than the placebos. Successful treatments included aluminum chlorhydroxide/sulphur, topical clindamycin, topical erythromycin, benzoyl peroxide, topical isotretinoin, tretinoin, oral tetracycline, and norgestimate/ethinyl estradiol.
In the next few weeks, a committee will be assembled to create a set of guidelines for treating acne.
-- Article Courtesy of InjuryBoard.com
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