Pharmaceutical compositions and methods for managing skin conditions

Abstract

This application relates to a stable pharmaceutical composition and methods for the cleaning of skin to facilitate the prevention, treatment, and management of skin conditions, such as seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, folliculitis, rosacea, perioral dermatitis, acne, impetigo and other inflammatory skin conditions, and the like, including a sufficient amount of an acidic component of a hydroxyacid or tannic acid, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, to exfoliate a portion of the skin, a sufficient amount of stabilized hydrogen peroxide to facilitate cleansing of the skin without substantial irritation thereof, and an antimicrobial agent including at least one of an antibacterial agent, antimicrobial agent, antiviral agent, anthelmintic, or a combination thereof, in an amount sufficient to inhibit or reduce microorganisms on the skin.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09 / 549,202, filed Apr. 13, 2000, now allowed, which is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 09 / 330,127, filed Jun. 11, 1999, currently U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,541, which is a continuation-in-part of provisional Application No. 60 / 094,775, filed Jul. 31, 1998.TECHNICAL FIELD [0002] This application relates to pharmaceutical compositions and methods to cleanse skin and facilitate the prevention, treatment, and management of skin conditions. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Human skin is a composite material of the epidermis and the dermis. The topmost part of the epidermis is the stratum corneum. This layer is the stiffest layer of the skin, as well as the one most affected by the surrounding environment. Below the stratum corneum is the internal portion of the epidermis. Below the epidermis, the topmost layer of the dermis is the papillary dermis, which is made of relativ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0026] In one preferred embodiment, the antimicrobial agent includes an antifungal agent. In a more preferred embodiment, the antifungal agent is selected from the group of farnesol, clotrimazole, ketoconazole, econazole, fluconazole, calcium or zinc undecylenate, undecylenic acid, butenafine hydrochloride, ciclopirox olaimine, miconazole nitrate, nystatin, sulconazole, terbinafine hydrochloride, and mixtures thereof.

[0027] In another preferred embodiment, the antimicrobial agent includes an antibacterial agent. In a more preferred embodiment, the antibacterial agent is selected from the group of triclosan, neomycin, clindamycin, polymyxin, bacitracin, benzoyl peroxide, a tetracycline such as doxycycline or minocycline, a sulfa drug such as sulfacetamide, a penicillin, a cephalosporin such as cephalexin, a quinolone such as lomefloxacin, olfloxacin, or trovafloxacin, and mixtures thereof.

[0028] In yet another preferred embodiment, the antimicrobial agent includes an antiviral agent. In a more preferred embodiment, the antiviral agent is selected from the group of acyclovir, tamvir, penciclovir, and mixtures thereof.

[0029] The invention further relates to a method of managing a skin condition by administering to a patient a therapeutically effective amount of: (1) an acidic component including a hydroxy acid or tannic acid, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, (2) hydrogen peroxide, and (3) an antimicrobial agent including at least one of an antibacterial agent, an antifungal agent, antiviral agent, an anthelmintic, or a combination thereof, to at least inhibit the growth of microorganisms on the skin that contributes to, or causes, the skin condition.

[0030] The types of skin conditions that can be treated include seborrheic dermatitis, psoriasis, folliculitis, rosacea, perioral dermatitis, acne, or impetigo or other inflammatory skin conditions. The administration of the components may be topical, such as by at least one of a gel, paste, cream, lotion, emulsion, or ointment. About 1 mg to 10,000 mg of the acidic component, hydrogen peroxide, and antimicrobial agent are administered together for satisfactory results in most cases. In a preferred embodiment, the acidic component, hydrogen peroxide, and antimicrobial agent are administered concurrently. In another embodiment, the acidic component, hydrogen peroxide, and antimicrobial agent are administered concurrently with at least one additional pharmaceutical composition for the prevention or treatment of a skin condition. In this embodiment, the method further includes administering at least one of a surfactant, stabilizer, preservative, moisturizer, anti-inflammatory agent, anti-oxidant, or coloring agent. Alternatively, the acidic component can include an alpha-hydroxy acid, beta-hydroxy acid, or tannic acid and the antimicrobial agent can include an antibacterial agent. In a more preferred embodiment, the acidic component includes glycolic, lactic, tannic, citric, or salicylic acid, and the antimicrobial agent includes triclosan.

[0031] The invention also relates to a skin cleansing pharmaceutical composition including an acidic component containing a hydroxy acid or tannic acid, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, present in an amount greater than about 1 weight percent to exfoliate at least a portion of the skin, hydrogen peroxide in an amount sufficient to cleanse the skin without substantial irritation thereof, and an antimicrobial agent that essentially includes at least one of an antibacterial agent, antifungal agent, antiviral agent, an anthelmintic, or a combination thereof, in an amount sufficient to at least inhibit microorganisms on the skin.

Problems solved by technology

These functions are detrimentally affected by, for example, dryness, yeast, and structural changes in the skin, such as due to aging and excessive sun exposure.

Despite these references, a stable composition of hydrogen peroxide, a hydroxy acid, and an antimicrobial agent has not been prepared and used for cleansing skin and managing skin conditions.