Weekly Isotretinoin Therapy Study

NCT ID: NCT04594759

Last Updated: 2022-05-09

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: PHASE1/PHASE2
• Total Enrollment: 22 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2020-11-11
• Study Completion Date: 2021-12-21

Brief Summary

In current Dermatology practice, options for moderate acne vulgaris remain limited. The mainstay of treatment for moderate acne remains long courses of oral antibiotics despite emerging antibiotic resistance. The efficacy of daily to twice daily dosed isotretinoin, an oral vitamin A derivative, for treatment of severe acne has been well established. The purpose of this study is to determine if once weekly dosed isotretinoin is effective for the treatment of patients with moderate acne. Additionally, the study aims to evaluate patient satisfaction and identify any adverse effects on this alternative dosing regimen.

Detailed Description

In current Dermatology practice, options for moderate acne vulgaris remain limited. Moderate acne is clinically defined as acne that has not responded to at least three months of topical therapy and is not severe enough for initial treatment with a conventional course of isotretinoin (formerly known as Accutane). The mainstay of treatment for moderate acne remains long courses of oral antibiotics, mainly tetracyclines (doxycycline, minocycline) and occasionally trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Males with moderate acne, in particular, are especially limited in their treatment options as they are not eligible for hormonal management (spironolactone, oral contraceptive pills) like their female counterparts. Additionally, even for those regardless of gender who may eventually qualify for a traditional isotretinoin course, many insurance companies first require failure to respond to at least three months of oral antibiotics. Nagler et. al found that the average antibiotic use for moderate to severe acne prior to receiving isotretinoin was 331 days, with 15.3% of patients prescribed antibiotics for three months or less, 88% for six months or more, and 46% for at least one year.1 Despite the widespread use of oral antibiotics in acne, antibiotic resistance is considered a global threat per the CDC2, and there have been calls to limit their use in acne because of concerns of bacterial resistance3,4,5. Because of this, there is a significant need for more research on alternative treatment options for moderate acne.

Once weekly isotretinoin dosing has the potential to significantly improve moderate acne with good patient satisfaction and safety profile; however, no study findings on this treatment option have been published to date. The efficacy of isotretinoin, an oral vitamin A derivative, for treatment of acne has been well established. The traditional treatment course for severe acne consists of once to twice daily dosing (0.5-1 mg/kg/day) for 4-7 months (or 150mg/kg total cumulative dose). Though efficacious, there are numerous reported side-effects due to achieving the cumulative dose rapidly by once to twice daily dosing, such as severe dry skin, lips, and eyes, as well as liver enzyme and lipid abnormalities. Because of this, there have been studies exploring alternative isotretinoin dosing regimens including microdose, lower daily dose regimens (0.15-0.4 mg/kg/day6, 0.25-0.4 mg/kg/day7, 0.3-0.4 mg/kg/day8,9, in addition to 5 mg/day10 and 0.15-0.28 mg/kg/day with additional of local application of 1% clindamycin gel every other day11) and daily dosing for 7-10 consecutive days (0.5-0.7 mg/kg/day) out of each month only.7,12,13,14 All studies had favorable outcomes with alternative dosing, despite the lower total cumulative dose versus conventional dosing. Those who also analyzed adverse effect rates with alternative isotretinoin dosing found that these were either rarely observed or similar to conventional dosing.6,8,9,10,12,14 In contrast, the potential adverse effects of oral antibiotics used for acne include photosensitivity and nausea/vomiting (doxycycline), drug-induced pigment deposition and drug-induced systemic lupus erythematosus (minocycline), and angioedema and drug rashes including drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome (trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole). Interestingly, rates of acne recurrence between alternative isotretinoin dosing and conventional dosing were similar at follow-up,6,7,9 despite a much older study from 1984 that found otherwise.15 Additionally, cost of alternative isotretinoin dosing was lower than with conventional dosing,8,9,13 and patient satisfaction was highest in the alternative dosing groups.7,10 For these reasons, this study aims to evaluate the efficacy of once weekly isotretinoin dosing (1-1.5 mg/kg/week) as a potential alternative to oral antibiotics for the treatment of patients with moderate acne. Secondary endpoints include patient satisfaction and adverse effects.

Conditions

Acne Vulgaris

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NON_RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Treatment Group

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Isotretinoin

Intervention Type: DRUG

Participants will be getting isotretinoin (1-1.5 mg/kg/week)

Interventions

Isotretinoin

Participants will be getting isotretinoin (1-1.5 mg/kg/week)

Intervention Type: DRUG

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• All patients 12 years and older with the diagnosis of moderate acne vulgaris

Exclusion Criteria

• Patients who are at baseline on long-term tetracycline antibiotics, long-term trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, or on spironolactone for any reason
• Patients who have taken isotretinoin in the past 6 months
• Patients with hypersensitivity to isotretinoin or to any of its components
• Females who are pregnant, likely to become pregnant, or will be breast-feeding during the study period
• Patients with a history of major depression, mania, or psychosis with an active episode during the past year including current psychotic symptoms and/or current suicidal ideation
• Adult patients with cognitive impairment
• Patients with baseline kidney or liver disease
• Patients with baseline hypertriglyceridemia
• Patients with history of or current pseudotumor cerebri
• Patients with any clinically significant unstable medical condition which could pose a risk to the safety of the patient
• Inability or unwillingness of subject or legal guardian/representative to give informed consent

• Minimum Eligible Age: 12 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Medical University of South Carolina

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Samantha Karlin, MD

Dermatology Resident Principal Investigator

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Samantha Karlin, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Medical University of South Carolina

Locations

Samantha Karline

Charleston, South Carolina, United States

Countries

United States

References

Nagler AR, Milam EC, Orlow SJ. The use of oral antibiotics before isotretinoin therapy in patients with acne. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2016 Feb;74(2):273-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2015.09.046. Epub 2015 Oct 30.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 26525749 (View on PubMed)

Center for Disease Control (https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/biggest-threats.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fdrugresistance%2Fbiggest_threats.html)

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Dreno B, Thiboutot D, Gollnick H, Bettoli V, Kang S, Leyden JJ, Shalita A, Torres V; Global Alliance to Improve Outcomes in Acne. Antibiotic stewardship in dermatology: limiting antibiotic use in acne. Eur J Dermatol. 2014 May-Jun;24(3):330-4. doi: 10.1684/ejd.2014.2309.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 24721547 (View on PubMed)

Bowe WP. Antibiotic resistance and acne: where we stand and what the future holds. J Drugs Dermatol. 2014 Jun;13(6):s66-70.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 24918574 (View on PubMed)

Ross JI, Snelling AM, Carnegie E, Coates P, Cunliffe WJ, Bettoli V, Tosti G, Katsambas A, Galvan Perez Del Pulgar JI, Rollman O, Torok L, Eady EA, Cove JH. Antibiotic-resistant acne: lessons from Europe. Br J Dermatol. 2003 Mar;148(3):467-78. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2133.2003.05067.x.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 12653738 (View on PubMed)

Mandekou-Lefaki I, Delli F, Teknetzis A, Euthimiadou R, Karakatsanis G. Low-dose schema of isotretinoin in acne vulgaris. Int J Clin Pharmacol Res. 2003;23(2-3):41-6.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 15018017 (View on PubMed)

Lee JW, Yoo KH, Park KY, Han TY, Li K, Seo SJ, Hong CK. Effectiveness of conventional, low-dose and intermittent oral isotretinoin in the treatment of acne: a randomized, controlled comparative study. Br J Dermatol. 2011 Jun;164(6):1369-75. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2010.10152.x. Epub 2011 May 17.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 21114478 (View on PubMed)

Amichai B, Shemer A, Grunwald MH. Low-dose isotretinoin in the treatment of acne vulgaris. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006 Apr;54(4):644-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2005.11.1061.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 16546586 (View on PubMed)

Kotori MG. Low-dose Vitamin "A" Tablets-treatment of Acne Vulgaris. Med Arch. 2015 Feb;69(1):28-30. doi: 10.5455/medarh.2015.69.28-30. Epub 2015 Feb 21.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 25870473 (View on PubMed)

Rademaker M, Wishart JM, Birchall NM. Isotretinoin 5 mg daily for low-grade adult acne vulgaris--a placebo-controlled, randomized double-blind study. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2014 Jun;28(6):747-54. doi: 10.1111/jdv.12170. Epub 2013 Apr 26.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 23617693 (View on PubMed)

Sardana K, Garg VK, Sehgal VN, Mahajan S, Bhushan P. Efficacy of fixed low-dose isotretinoin (20 mg, alternate days) with topical clindamycin gel in moderately severe acne vulgaris. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2009 May;23(5):556-60. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2008.03022.x. Epub 2009 Jan 9.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 19143903 (View on PubMed)

Akman A, Durusoy C, Senturk M, Koc CK, Soyturk D, Alpsoy E. Treatment of acne with intermittent and conventional isotretinoin: a randomized, controlled multicenter study. Arch Dermatol Res. 2007 Dec;299(10):467-73. doi: 10.1007/s00403-007-0777-2. Epub 2007 Aug 21.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 17710426 (View on PubMed)

Goulden V, Clark SM, McGeown C, Cunliffe WJ. Treatment of acne with intermittent isotretinoin. Br J Dermatol. 1997 Jul;137(1):106-8.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 9274635 (View on PubMed)

Kaymak Y, Ilter N. The effectiveness of intermittent isotretinoin treatment in mild or moderate acne. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2006 Nov;20(10):1256-60. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2006.01784.x.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 17062042 (View on PubMed)

Strauss JS, Rapini RP, Shalita AR, Konecky E, Pochi PE, Comite H, Exner JH. Isotretinoin therapy for acne: results of a multicenter dose-response study. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1984 Mar;10(3):490-6. doi: 10.1016/s0190-9622(84)80100-0.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

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Provided Documents

Document Type: Study Protocol

View Document

Other Identifiers

00103493

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id