EPIDUO SIDE EFFECTS
- Generic Name: adapalene and benzoyl peroxide gel
- Brand Name: Epiduo Gel
- Drug Class: Retinoid-like Agents, Topical, Topical Skin Products
SIDE EFFECTS
Clinical Studies Experience
Because clinical studies are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical studies of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical studies of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. During clinical trials, 1401 subjects were exposed to EPIDUO gel. A total of 1036 subjects with acne vulgaris, 12 years and older, were treated once daily for 12 weeks to 12 months. Related adverse events reported within 12 weeks of treatment and in at least 1% of subjects treated with EPIDUO gel and those reported in subjects treated with the vehicle gel are presented in Table 1:
Table 1 : Drug-Related Adverse Events Reported in Clinical Trials by At Least 1% of Patients Treated For 12 Weeks
| System Organ Class/ Preferred Term | EPIDUO gel N = 564 |
Vehicle gel N = 489 |
| Subjects with AE (s) | 14% | 4% |
| Dry Skin | 7% | 2% |
| Contact dermatitis | 3% | < 1% |
| Application site burning | 2% | < 1% |
| Application site irritation | 1% | < 1% |
| Skin irritation | 1% | 0% |
Local tolerability evaluations, presented in Table 2, were conducted at each study visit in clinical trials by assessment of erythema, scaling, dryness, burning, and stinging.
Table 2: Incidence of Local Cutaneous Irritation in Controlled Clinical Trials (N = 553) Treatment Emergent Signs and Symptoms
| Maximum Severity During Treatment | End of Treatment Severity (12 Weeks) | |||||
| Mild | Moderate | Severe | Mild | Moderate | Severe | |
| Erythema | 27% | 13% | 1% | 8% | 2% | 1% |
| Scaling | 35% | 11% | 1% | 9% | 1% | < 1% |
| Dryness | 41% | 13% | 1% | 10% | 2% | < 1% |
| Stinging/burning | 41% | 15% | 3% | 7% | 2% | 1% |
Analysis over the 12-week period showed that local tolerability scores for erythema, scaling, dryness, and stinging/burning peaked at Week 1 of therapy and decreased thereafter.
During a pediatric clinical trial, 285 children with acne vulgaris, 9 to 11 years of age were treated with EPIDUO gel or with the vehicle gel once daily for 12 weeks. Overall, the safety profile of EPIDUO gel in these subjects is comparable to the safety profile observed in older subjects 12 years of age and above, both in the nature and frequency of the observed events.
Analysis of local tolerability evaluations shows similar incidence of treatment emergent signs and symptoms as in subjects 12 years of age and above, with local tolerability signs and symptoms peaking during the first week and decreasing over time.
Postmarketing Experience
The following adverse reactions have been identified during postapproval use of EPIDUO Gel: eyelid edema, sunburn, blister, pain of skin, pruritus, swelling face, conjunctivitis, skin discoloration, rash, eczema, throat tightness and allergic contact dermatitis. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.
SRC: NLM .