Response to FDA Approval of IDP-126 for Acne Treatment

in this interview HCP liveLawrence Eichenfield, MD, speaks at the 2023 Fall Clinical Dermatology Meeting in Las Vegas regarding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Oct. 21 decision to approve IDP-126 for ages 12 and older Acne treatment for patients.¹

Eichenfeld is chief of pediatrics and adolescent dermatology at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. He also serves as professor of dermatology and pediatrics and vice chair of the Department of Dermatology at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

In this discussion, Eichenfield explains his views on the approval of clindamycin 1.2%/adapalene 0.15%/benzoyl peroxide 3.1% (Cabtreo) (formerly IDP-126).

“I’m very excited about the approval of this product,” Eichenfield said. “Now, I’ve been a researcher on this product for many years, so I’ve seen incredibly consistent results in both clinical practice and data from these studies for clindamycin, adapalene, and benzoyl With triple-formula peroxide, you get almost the same results that you’ve historically gotten with oral antibiotics and a good topical retinoid or retinoid combination.”

I noticed that this product very consistently resulted in over 50% of the study participants being either definite or almost definite within a fairly short period of time.

“It was like a slam dunk,” Eichenfield said. “The efficacy was incredible, with over 75% reduction in inflammatory lesions in the study. The response with non-inflammatory lesions was also very consistent. So I’m excited to have this product and hope that access issues don’t prevent me from using it for my patients. You know, we try to be good stewards and not use too many oral antibiotics. We still rely heavily on them when it comes to acne.

Eichenfield added that while clinicians have alternative or hormonal therapies, it’s encouraging to get topical medications and get them into patients’ hands. He was asked about access issues raised in previous statements and other elements of the decision.

“We did a big review piece for Jama with Dawn Eichenfield, who was the lead author and I was the senior author, and we went over the whole situation and asked if this would Change things,” he said. “It would be great if we could reduce the use of oral antibiotics by using the new triple topical agents. That means we might be able to control more patients without the need for systemic drugs, which I think is a Good thing.”

Additionally, Eichenfield said the importance of the product’s triple-action element is that it combines a group of medications to effectively target different aspects of acne.

To hear more from Eichenfeld on this topic, check out the full interview clip above.

Quotes included in this article have been edited for clarity.

1. ^{Kunzmann K. FDA approves IDP-126 (Cabtreo), first triple drug combination to treat acne. HCPLive. October 21, 2023. Accessed: October 21, 2023. https://www.hcplive.com/view/fda-approves-first-triple-combination-drug-acne.}