Double-blind comparison of topical 1 percent clindamycin phosphate (Cleocin T) and oral tetracycline 500 mg/day in the treatment of acne vulgaris.

An eight week double-blind study comparing 1 percent clindamycin phosphate (Cleocin T) applied topically with tetracycline 500 mg a day taken orally was conducted in fifty subjects. Topically applied 1 percent clindamycin phosphate was found to be superior to oral tetracycline at six weeks as judged by patient evaluation and reduction of papules. There was a consistent trend favoring clindamycin phosphate at the other visits but the difference was not significant. The use of topically applied 1 percent clindamycin phosphate seems to be a logical alternative to the use of oral tetracycline.