Oral isotretinoin with desloratadine compared with oral isotretinoin alone in the treatment of moderate to severe acne: a randomized, assessor‐blinded study.

Background: Our aim was to measure the effectiveness of oral isotretinoin with desloratadine compared with oral isotretinoin alone in treating moderate to severe acne at a tertiary care teaching hospital in North India. In this study, 90 patients with moderate to severe acne were enrolled to participate based on their fulfilling the inclusion criteria. Methods: A randomized, assessor‐blinded, parallel‐arm study was conducted. Randomization was done using computer‐generated tables to allocate treatments in a 1:1 ratio. A low‐dose oral isotretinoin at a dose of 0.3 mg/kg/day with tab desloratadine at 5 mg/day was applied to the study group and compared against the same patients going without the dosage when controls were conducted. Follow‐up was at 4, 8, and 12 weeks. Results: The primary outcome was an improved global acne grading system (GAGS) score and decreased acne lesion count. Secondary outcome: patient satisfaction with treatment. The 90 participants were randomized and 15 participants dropped out of the study, leaving 75 participants for intention to treat analysis (n = 41, n = 30). At week 12, the GAGS score and acne lesion count between the study and control groups were comparable (P > 0.05). Pruritus reported was 9.76% in the study versus 33.33% in the control group (P = 0.018). Also, 53.66% of participants reported "excellent" treatment satisfaction in the study group versus 36.67% in the control group. Conclusions: The addition of desloratadine to an isotretinoin regimen has a role in reducing disease and therapy‐related pruritus in acne and leads to improved patient satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]