DOES NAFTIFINE HAVE ANTIINFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES - A DOUBLE-BLIND COMPARATIVE-STUDY WITH 1-PERCENT CLOTRIMAZOLE 1-PERCENT HYDROCORTISONE IN CLINICALLY DIAGNOSED FUNGAL INFECTION OF THE SKIN

In a multicentre, double-blind, randomized, parallel group study in ge neral practice, 269 patients with clinically diagnosed fungal infectio n of the skin were treated with either naftifine (Exoderil(R)) or 1% c lotrimazole plus 1% hydrocortisone (CHC; Canesten HC(R)) applied twice daily for 4 weeks. Only 115 patients were shown subsequently to have a fungal infection by laboratory tests; the others had inflammatory di sease of unknown aetiology. In those with fungal disease, both treatme nts were equally effective in terms of mycological cure (negative micr oscopy and culture). Clinical results for all 265 patients showed no c linically identifiable difference between the two preparations in term s of resolution of the disease, indicating that naftifine does have an ti-inflammatory activity at least equal to CHC. This study suggests th at there is no clinical advantage in treating patients with clinically diagnosed fungal infection of the skin with an antimycotic/corticoste roid combination as opposed to naftifine alone.