Non-antibiotic treatment for women with persistent acne shown to be effective

A team of researchers led by the University of Southampton has shown that a cheap and readily available drug, used to treat high blood pressure, could help the thousands of women who suffer from persistent acne. The SAFA study, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), is the first large-scale clinical trial to provide evidence that spironolactone is an effective treatment for the skin condition. The results of the trial have been published in the British Medical Journal today (17th May). It's expected the results will change in the way acne in women is routinely treated - improving patient outcomes and reducing the large number of antibiotics currently prescribed for the condition. "We hope the publication of these results will mean more GPs and dermatologists feel confident to prescribe spironolactone as a treatment for acne," says Professor Miriam Santer, GP and Professor of Primary Care Research at the University of Southampton and co-lead of the trial. "The drug is already included in treatment guidelines for persistent acne in the US and Europe, and we hope this trial will lead to a change in the UK guidelines." - A need for new treatments. Almost a third of women who have acne in adolescence continue to be affected in adulthood.