Phase 4 Study to Assess Tretinoin Pump for the Treatment of Facial Acne
December 2008 | Volume 7 | Issue 12 | 1129 | Copyright © December 2008
Lawrence F. Eichenfield MD, Marge Nighland BS, Ana Beatris Rossi MD, Fran Cook-Bolden MD, Pearl Grimes MD, Richard Fried MD PhD, Sharon Levy, PUMP Study Group
Abstract
It is well known that the setting of clinical trials for registration studies do not necessarily represent efficacy seen in clinical practice,
where physicians have the flexibility to select, combine, and change the acne treatment prescription. In this phase 4, open-label,
multicenter, community-based study, 544 patients who were dissatisfied with their current acne treatment received tretinoin gel mi-
crosphere (TGM) 0.04% or 0.1% in a pump dispenser for 12 weeks. Patients were allowed the use of up to 2 other concurrent acne
therapies, not including other retinoids. A total of 361 patients received TGM 0.04% and 183 received TGM 0.1%. Compliance was
high (defined as 75% to 100% of prescribed doses taken) for approximately 95% of patients in both groups at every evaluation. At
week 12, the mean modified Global Acne Grade score (mGAGs) and the investigator global evaluation (IGE) demonstrated significant
(P<.0001) improvement from baseline for both concentrations, with 72% having at least moderate improvement. In approximately
25% of patients, acne was assessed as cleared or almost cleared. Most side effects were characteristic of topical retinoids. These
results indicate TGM in a pump dispenser as an effective, well-tolerated acne treatment that is associated with a high rate of compli-
ance. 
