Efficacy of luliconazole combination shampoo in patients with seborrheic dermatitis

Abstract

Seborrheic dermatitis (SD) is a frequently occurring chronic inflammatory disease of the skin which causes scalp erythema, scaling and itching. Though it isn't a life-threatening skin condition, it significantly impacts the quality of life. Luliconazole is a newer antifungal agent with comparable or greater potency than existing agents with better tolerability. We aimed to evaluate its efficacy and tolerability as an initial active and maintenance regimen.In this 12-week, prospective, non-comparative and single-center study, adult subjects with a valid clinical diagnosis of SD of the scalp with a combined score for scaling and erythema between 2 and 4 were included. The primary endpoint was a change in the degree of scaling using a 4-point scale; the secondary endpoints were a change in the degree of erythema and the degree of scalp itching on the scalp at week 4 and week 12. A clinical examination was also performed to assess the tolerability of the shampoo. A subjective self-assessment questionnaire was used to assess patient perception of the efficacy and tolerability of the product.At week 4 and week 12, the scalp scaling was significantly reduced by 69% and 78.6%, and erythema by 77.1% and 92.4%, respectively. Consequently, there was a progressive reduction in itching from 91.2% at week 4 to 94.7% by week 12. At Week 4, 37.8% and Week 12, 55.6% of the participants showed complete clearance of dandruff. Mean scalp dryness assessment scores decreased from 0.31 at week 4 to 0.16 by week 12.None of the subjects reported any symptoms of intolerance or recurrences.The current 12-week study demonstrated significant effectiveness and tolerability of Luliconazole-containing shampoo in the active phase and maintenance treatment of SD with initial twice- and subsequently once-weekly regimens.