New Advances in the Topical Treatment of Tinea Pedis, Tinea Cruris, and Tinea Corporis

Put Your Best Foot Forward: Advances in the Management of Tinea Pedis

Dermatophyte infections account for over 4 million physician visits each year in the United States. Moreover, recent analysis of data from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey for the period from 1995 to 2004 have found that improper treatment of tinea pedis, tinea corporis, and tinea cruris is common and expensive. However, the selection of inappropriate agents is just one impediment to effective care. Therapeutic non-adherence by patients, and especially failure to continue therapy until the infectious organisms are completely eradicated, are additional challenges. Naftifine cream 2% is a topical allylamine antifungal agent for the treatment of superficial dermatomycoses, and this novel topical formulation is a welcome new option. A study of naftifine cream 2% for the treatment of tinea pedis found that 2 weeks of treatment was significantly more effective than vehicle and equivalent to 4 weeks of treatment with naftifine 1% gel. Naftifine 2% cream offers a cosmetically elegant, once-daily topical treatment option for dermatomycoses that may lead to better compliance and better treatment outcome in patients.