Real-world data demonstrate the therapeutic effect and safety of oxymetazoline cream 1.0 percent for erythema-associated rosacea, according to a review published in the January issue of the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology.

Xin Yuan, M.D., from Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, and Dan Yin, M.D., from Guizhou Medical University, both in Guiyang, China, quantitatively synthesized the benefits and harms of 1.0 percent oxymetazoline cream for real-world clinical management of persistent facial erythema in rosacea patients. A meta-analysis was performed on studies involving 2,298 patients.

The researchers found that at the fourth week of dosing, the improvement rates of the two-grade Clinician Erythema Assessment score and Subject Self-Assessment for rosacea facial redness score were 38 and 25 percent, respectively, in the oxymetazoline group. The comprehensive rate of treatment-related treatment-emergent adverse events was 7 percent in the oxymetazoline group. In an analysis of dermal tolerability, the rates of stinging/burning, pruritus, dryness, and scaling were 15, 15, 23, and 17 percent, respectively. A very low rate of rebound erythema was seen with topical oxymetazoline cream (1 percent).

"Topical Oxymetazoline cream 1.0 percent can be considered as a standard and routine treatment in rosacea patients, especially for erythema telangiectasia rosacea, and the more clinical studies for the longer-term clinical follow-up or the combination with the other treatment, including oral medication and energy-based therapy, are worth further exploring," the authors write.

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