Background: Tinea corporis is fungal infection of body surfaces other than the feet, groin, scalp, or beard. Naftifine hydrochloride is a topical antifungal of the allylamine class used to treat tinea corporis, displaying fungicidal activity and clinically significant anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.<br/>
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of two-weeks once daily application of naftifine cream 2% in the treatment of tinea corporis among pediatric subjects.<br/>
Methods: At baseline, 231 subjects were randomly assigned 1:1 to naftifine cream 2% (n=116) and vehicle (n=115). Treatment effect consisting of mycologic determination (KOH and dermatophyte cultures) and scoring of clinical symptom severity was evaluated at baseline, week 2 (end of treatment) and week 3. Efficacy was analyzed in 181 subjects (n=88, naftifine; n=93, vehicle) with a positive baseline dermatophyte culture and KOH for whom week 3 assessments were available. Safety was evaluated by adverse events (AE) and laboratory values in 231 subjects (n=116, naftifine; n=115, vehicle).<br/>
Results: Children with tinea corporis treated with naftifine cream 2% demonstrated significantly greater improvements from baseline over vehicle for mycological cure (<em>P</em><0.0001) and treatment effectiveness (<em>P</em>=0.003) as early as 2 weeks (end of treatment). Response rates continued to increase post-treatment and were the highest 1-week after completion of the therapy (<em>P</em>=0.003 for complete cure; and <em>P</em><0.001 for mycological cure and treatment effectiveness). Treatment related adverse events were minimal.<br/>
Conclusions: Treatment with naftifine cream 2% applied once daily for two weeks was well-tolerated and was effective in treating tinea corporis in children. Further improvement was observed 1-week after treatment completion for all key outcome measures (complete cure, mycological cure, treatment effectiveness, clinical cure, and clinical success) and clinical signs and symptoms (erythema, induration, and pruritus). <br /><br /> <em>J Drugs Dermatol. </em>2016;15(6):743-748.