Organ
of the
GD — Society for Dermopharmacy
 |
Issue 1 (2004) |
Dermopharmacy News
Crucial point in the therapy of mycoses pedis
Required compliance often not ensured
High effectiveness and short duration of therapy are essential properties expected from an ideal topical anti-mycotic agent by persons affected by athlete’s foot. This was the result of a survey performed by the Berlin forsaInstitut in May 2004 based on 1,000 representatively selected persons who had contracted mycosis pedis in the last 12 months. Moreover, the survey initiated by the company Novartis Consumer Health GmbH emphasized the fact that the time of application for topical anti-mycotics is in many cases insufficient.
82 percent of the persons inquired by forsa expressed their anticipation for a product to treat mycosis pedis by bringing about effective healing. For 82 percent it is equally important that the product does not only inhibit the causative infective agent but entails ultimate destruction of the pathogen, i. e. fungicidal effectivity. 74 of the respondents expect from their anti-mycotic product a swift subsiding of symptoms and 73 percent deem a protection from the recurrence of the disease, i. e. a low relapse risk important.
Short-time therapy preferable
There is a trend in the therapy of interdigital mycoses towards a once-a-day application via always shorter intervals which corresponds to the consumers’ expectation: 49 percent of the persons inquired prefer an application once a day whereas only 42 percent accept an application twice daily. More frequent applications per diem which cannot be included into the morning dressing and evening undressing routine with comparably little effort are however clearly refused.
The wish of the persons concerned to minimize the expenditure of time for the treatment as far as possible is also reflected in the survey results concerning the ideal therapy duration: 53 percent of the persons inquired envisage one week for the treatment. An application of up to three weeks is however merely accepted by 29 percent whereas only 14 percent tolerate an application of four weeks or beyond.
Insufficient compliance
jeopardizes therapy success
The necessity for a short therapy duration became also obvious by the question as to how long a product used for the treatment has been actually applied. Thus 30 percent of the users of a terbinafine-containing product terminated the therapy untimely although these products have to be applied with interdigital mycoses for one week only.
Even considerably unfavorable is the result for azole derivatives: here 63 percent of the users of a bifonazole-containing and even 77 percent of the users of a clotrimazole-containing preparation did not adhere to the required application time of three respectively four weeks. These survey results revealed that there is a fundamental need for information in the scope of mycosis pedis therapy. (jk)
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