Comparison of efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of clotrimazole 1% cream and sertaconazole 2% cream in patients suffering from of mild to moderate tinea corporis, attending tertiary care hospital out-patient department: a randomized, open-labeled, comparative, parallel group trial

Background: Tinea corporis is a common dermatophytic infection of the body involving keratin layer of skin. This lesion presents as an annular plaque with an advancing border along with central clearing. Clotrimazole is topical, conventional imidazole antifungal drug and has given good efficacy in tinea corporis. Sertaconazole is new topical imidazole antifungal claimed to be superior to old topical imidazoles in tinea corporis. The aim of this study was to compare efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness of topical antifungals, clotrimazole 1% cream and sertaconazole 2% cream in patients suffering from mild to moderate tinea corporis attending out-patient department of tertiary care hospital in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.Methods: This was a prospective, comparative, randomized trial with 2 parallel treatment arms of 4 weeks duration. Patients were diagnosed on the basis of clinical evaluation and microscopic findings of KOH mount. Hundred patients were randomly assigned into two groups of clotrimazole 1% cream, and sertaconazole 2% cream with 50 patients in each group. Evaluation was carried out at baseline, 1st week, 2nd week and 4th week for efficacy parameters viz. itching, erythema and scaling, physician’s global assessment (PGA), safety and cost effectiveness.Results: Topical sertaconazole 2% cream was highly efficacious and superior to clotrimazole 1% cream in improvement of clinical parameters, PGA and mycological cure at the end of the treatment phase. At end of the follow-up phase both the trial drugs were effective with no recurrence or relapse of tinea corporis. However, clotrimazole 1% cream was safe and cheaper.Conclusions: Topical clotrimazole 1% cream and sertaconazole 2% were effective and well tolerated in patients of tinea corporis. Effectiveness of sertaconazole was early and superior with tolerable side-effects. However, clotrimazole was cost-effective