Can An Improved Cream Formula Offer More Efficient Tinea Pedis Treatment?

For patients suffering from interdigital tinea pedis, an improved topical antifungal might offer relief in as little as six weeks.

   Naftin Cream 2% (naftifine hydrochloride) is an allylamine antifungal used for the treatment of interdigital tinea pedia, tinea cruris and tinea corporis caused by Trichophyton rubrum, notes the manufacturer Merz Pharmaceuticals.

   In a double-blind, randomized study, vehicle controlled study, researchers found that Naftin Cream 2% offered patients a significantly greater complete cure rate following a two-week treatment for tinea pedis.1 Merz recommends once-a-day application of Naftin Cream 2% for two weeks.

   Naftin 2% is an improved formula of the twice-a-day cream, Naftin 1%, which Tracey Vlahovic, DPM, notes she had been using for more than 10 years. In addition to her long use of Naftin 1% and continued use of Naftin 2%, Dr. Vlahovic was involved in recent clinical trials with the new products.

   “Naftin 1% has been my go-to product for tinea pedis. Then I was a principal investigator on both the Naftin Cream 2% and Naftin Gel 2% studies so I was able to use them before anyone else,” explains Dr. Vlahovic. “I have had positive responses to both products.”

   Merz notes that in clinical trials with Naftin Cream 2%, the most common adverse reaction was pruritus (>1%).

   Dr. Vlahovic attests to encountering this reaction during the trials but adds that in her practice, patients have not complained of adverse side effects.

   “(In the study), both the subjects and I were blinded, but any pruritus they might have had was insignificant compared to the relief gained from using the product,” says Dr. Vlahovic. “In real practice, I have never had a patient complain of any adverse reaction when using the 2% cream.”

   In comparison to other topical treatments on the market for tinea pedis, Naftin 2% is broad spectrum, anti-inflammatory and efficacious, notes Dr. Vlahovic, an Associate Professor and J. Stanley and Pearl Landau Fellow at the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine in Philadelphia.

   “I am extremely pleased with it,” adds Dr. Vlahovic. “I use it in combination with urea cream for its keratolytic properties.”

Reference
1. Parish LC, Parish JL, Routh HB, Fleischer AB Jr, Avakian EV, Plaum S, Hardas B. A randomized, double-blind vehicle-controlled efficacy and safety study of naftifine 2% cream in the treatment of tinea pedis. J Drugs Dermatol. 2011; 10(11):1282-8.