A Randomized, Investigator-Blinded Trial to Assess the Antimicrobial Efficacy of aBenzoyl Peroxide 5%/Clindamycin Phosphate 1% Gel Compared With a Clindamycin Phosphate 1.2%/Tretinoin 0.025% Gel in the Topical Treatment of Acne Vulgaris

Background: Combination products in which the individual components have different mechanisms of antimicrobial action have been shown in many disease states to provide the most effective therapy.
Methods: This 16-week, two-center, investigator-blinded, randomized, parallel-group study evaluated the antimicrobial efficacy of clindamycin phosphate 1%/benzoyl peroxide 5% gel (BPO/C) as compared to a clindamycin phosphate 1.2%/tretinoin 0.025% gel (T/C) over 16 weeks in the treatment of moderate to moderately severe acne.
Results: While subjects in both arms experienced reductions in total Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) counts, the BPO/C arm produced greater reductions throughout the study. Furthermore, overall reductions in the number of clindamycin-resistant and erythromycin- resistant P. acnes occurred only in BPO/C treated subjects.
Conclusion: These data suggest that clindamycin phosphate 1%/benzoyl peroxide 5% gel reduces P. acnes counts and mitigates the emergence of antimicrobial resistance.