NEW ACNE TREATMENT AVAILABLE, BUT IS IT THE BEST OPTION FOR YOU?

By Nasrin Mani, M.D.

In May 2012, pharmaceutical giant GlaxSmithKline (GSK) won approval for its new acne medication Fabior. Fabior is a foam version of topical tazarotene. Tazarotene has long been used as a topical treatment for psoriasis and acne. Allergan’s tazarotene gel, called Tazorac, was approved by the FDA in 2000, and their cream form, called Avage, was approved in 2002.

It’s unclear what benefits are associated with the new delivery system, but it’s more than likely that the main benefit is for GSK to tap into and undercut a successful drug for one of its major competitors. It seems unlikely that the new delivery system for tazarotene will give you significantly better results than the old ones. If you’ve already tried topical tazarotene like Tazorac or Avage, then trying Fabior shouldn’t be top on your priority list.

Instead, if you have not gotten good results with topical tazarotene or don’t like the side effects associated with the drug, we offer alternate treatment methods for removing acne. Isolaz acne treatment kills acne-causing bacteria while removing the skin and oils that bacteria feed on. We also offer Blu-U light treatment that can kill bacteria and can be combined with photodynamic therapy for more effective treatment of persistent acne.

To learn more about acne treatments, please contact LaJolla Cosmetic Laser Clinic in San Diego for an appointment.