The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 277 No 7413 p184
12 August 2006

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News summary

Minocycline not first-line tetracycline for acne

Minocycline should not be used in preference to other tetracyclines for the treatment of acne, the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin has suggested in its latest review (2006;44:60).

The bulletin says that minocycline, as well as being more expensive than other agents in the class, is associated with serious unwanted effects, such as slate-grey hyperpigmentation of the skin (which can be irreversible) and various immune disorders, which occur mostly after prolonged therapy.

The August Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin also includes a review of the use of statins for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes, and looks at the place of topiramate for the prophylaxis of migraine.