Efficacy and safety of sertaconazole in the treatment of dermatophytoses

Abstract

Background Dermatophytoses are becoming increasingly unresponsive to topical conventional antifungals now a days. Sertaconazole is a new, broad spectrum, fungicidal and fungistatic imidazole with added antipruritic and anti-inflammatory activity that may be beneficial in efficacy and improving the quality of life for patients with dermatophytoses. Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of topical sertaconazole cream in the treatment of localized tinea corporis and tinea cruris. Methods A prospective, clinical trial was conducted with 81 cases of dermatophytosis patients attending outpatient department (OPD) of Dermatology and Venereology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Dhaka, Bangladesh. Patients were advised to apply sertaconazole cream 2 times per day for 4 weeks and patients were followed up for clinical improvement and side-effects of drug therapy. Results The improvement of clinical score was from baseline to 41.6% at week 1; 89.3% at week 2 and 91.5% at week 4.  On the basis of global response, level of improvement was clear in 55 (67.9%) patients, good in 25 (30.9%) patients and fair in 55 (67.9%) patients. Based on clinical efficacy, cure was observed in 55 (67.9%) patients, improvement in 25 (30.9%) patients and failure in 1 (1.2%) patients. About 78(96.3%) patients didn’t suffer from any side effects from application of sertaconazole cream. Conclusion  On the basis of the results, it can be concluded that sertaconazole can be considered effective and a safe drug for the treatment of dermatophytosis.