The Food and Drug Administration has approved Veltin, a gel containing clindamycin phosphate and tretinoin, for the topical treatment of acne vulgaris in patients aged 12 years and older.

The treatment brings together a topical retinoid and an antibiotic - which are often recommended for the treatment of acne vulgaris - in a water-based gel.

Veltin (1.2% clindamycin phosphate and 0.025% tretinoin) should not be used by patients who have Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis or have developed colitis with past antibiotic use. Patients using the treatment should avoid exposure to sunlight and sun lamps and should wear sunscreen daily.

Stiefel Laboratories Inc., a GlaxoSmithKline company, expects the gel to be available by prescription later this year.

For more information, including complete prescribing information, contact Stiefel by calling 919-483-2839.

08/06/10