A triple-pronged approach to acne treatment has shown remarkable promise, outshining conventional single or double treatments in a recent study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. The treatment in question, a topical gel known as IDP-126, combines an antibiotic, antibacterial agent, and a retinoid.
The IDP-126 gel, which contains a combination of clindamycin phosphate, adapalene, and benzoyl peroxide, has undergone rigorous testing in two phase 3 clinical trials. The aim was to assess its effectiveness, safety, and tolerability in treating acne. These trials involved a total of 363 participants aged nine years and older who were suffering from moderate-to-severe acne.

Participants were randomly divided into two groups: one received daily applications of IDP-126, while the other used a vehicle gel as a control. The co-primary endpoints of the trials were twofold: firstly, whether participants achieved a reduction of at least two grades from their baseline Evaluator's Global Severity Score (EGSS) and achieved clear or almost clear skin (termed "treatment success"), and secondly, the change from the baseline in the counts of inflammatory and noninflammatory lesions. The trials also closely monitored any treatment-emergent adverse events.
By the end of the 12-week trials, nearly half of the participants (around 50%) who used IDP-126 had achieved treatment success. This was a stark contrast to the control group, where only around a quarter of participants saw similar success. These results were statistically significant.
Furthermore, the IDP-126 group also showed a substantial reduction in both inflammatory and noninflammatory lesions compared to the control group. This indicates the potential of the triple-combination gel in effectively addressing various acne-related issues.
Notably, most of the treatment-emergent adverse events reported in both groups were of mild to moderate severity, suggesting that the IDP-126 gel is well-tolerated.
While these results are promising, it's essential to consider the limitations of the trials, including potential biases in assessing the severity of acne, the relatively short duration of treatment, and the specific demographics of the study participants.
Reference:
Stein Gold, L., Lain, E., Del Rosso, J. Q., Gold, M., Draelos, Z. D., Eichenfield, L. F., Sadick, N., Werschler, W. P., Gooderham, M. J., & Lupo, M. (2023). Clindamycin phosphate 1.2%/adapalene 0.15%/benzoyl peroxide 3.1% gel for moderate-to-severe acne: Efficacy and safety results from two randomized phase 3 trials. In Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (Vol. 89, Issue 5, pp. 927–935). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2022.08.069