Frequency of Treatment Switching for Spironolactone Compared to Oral Tetracycline-Class Antibiotics for Women With Acne: A Retrospective Cohort Study 2010-2016

Abstract

Background: Long-term oral antibiotic use in acne may be associated with a variety of adverse effects including antibiotic resistance, pharyngitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and breast and colon cancer. Spironolactone may represent an effective and safe alternative to oral antibiotics for women with moderate to severe acne, however comparative studies are lacking.

Methods: Using the OptumInsight™ Clinformatics™ DataMart, we conducted a retrospective analysis of the frequency of switching to a different systemic agent within the first year of therapy among women with acne who were started on either spironolactone or an oral tetracycline-class antibiotic between 2010-2016, after controlling for age, topical retinoid, and oral contraceptive use.

Results: Among women with acne who were started on spironolactone, 14.4% were prescribed a different systemic agent within one year, compared with 13.4% started on an oral tetracycline-class antibiotic. After adjusting for age, topical retinoid, and oral contraceptive use, the odds ratio for being prescribed a different systemic agent within one year was 1.07 (95% CI 0.99-1.16) for those prescribed spironolactone when compared with oral tetracycline-class antibiotics and the risk difference was 0.007 (95% CI -0.002-0.017).

Conclusions: Based on the observation of similar switching between the two groups, spironolactone may have similar clinical effectiveness to that of oral tetracycline-class antibiotics. While ultimately large clinical trials are needed to determine the optimal management strategy for women with moderate to severe acne, these results provide additional support that spironolactone represents an effective treatment for women with acne. J Drugs Dermatol. 2018;17(6):632-638.