Topical clindamycin for acne vulgaris: analysis of gastrointestinal events

Topical clindamycin, a lincosamide antibiotic, is commonly combined with benzoyl peroxide or a retinoid for acne vulgaris (AV) treatment. While oral and topical clindamycin carry warnings/contraindications regarding gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events (AEs), real-world incidence of GI AEs with topi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of dermatological treatment 2024-12, Vol.35 (1), p.2325603-2325603
Main Authors: Pelet Del Toro, Natalia M, Strunk, Andrew, Wu, Jashin J, Stein Gold, Linda, Del Rosso, James Q, Brodell, Robert T, Han, George
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
acne vulgaris
Acne Vulgaris - drug therapy
adverse events
Anti-Bacterial Agents - adverse effects
Benzoyl Peroxide - therapeutic use
Clindamycin
Clindamycin - adverse effects
colitis
Humans
inflammatory bowel disease
Retrospective Studies
topical
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Summary:Topical clindamycin, a lincosamide antibiotic, is commonly combined with benzoyl peroxide or a retinoid for acne vulgaris (AV) treatment. While oral and topical clindamycin carry warnings/contraindications regarding gastrointestinal (GI) adverse events (AEs), real-world incidence of GI AEs with topical clindamycin is unknown. This review provides background information and an overview of safety data of topical clindamycin for treating AV. Available safety data from published literature, previously unpublished worldwide pharmacovigilance data, and two retrospective cohort studies were reviewed. According to pharmacovigilance data, the rate of GI adverse drug reactions with topical clindamycin-containing products was 0.000045% (64/141,084,533). Results from two retrospective medical record studies of patients with AV indicated that physicians prescribe topical clindamycin equally to patients with or without inflammatory bowel disease history, and that rates of pseudomembranous colitis in these patients were low. In 8 published pivotal clinical trials of topical clindamycin for AV, GI AEs were reported in 1.4% of participants. Limitations include under/inaccurate reporting of AEs or prescription data and limited generalizability. This review of published case reports, worldwide pharmacovigilance data, retrospective US prescription data, and clinical trials safety data demonstrates that the incidence of colitis in patients exposed to topical clindamycin is extremely low.
ISSN:0954-6634
1471-1753
DOI:10.1080/09546634.2024.2325603