Metronidazole – topical

Additional information

Pharmacokinetics and dosing

No studies with a clinically relevant sex analysis regarding the pharmacokinetics or dosing of topical metronidazole have been found. No difference between men and women has been shown for transdermal absorption in general [1].

Effects

In an open-label community-based study (145 men, 437 women) investigating the responsiveness to twice-daily application of metronidazole topical gel 0.75% in subjects with rosacea, the efficacy in reducing lesion count and improving rosacea severity was equivalent in men and women [2]. A small study of patients with mild or moderate papulopustular rosacea (7 men, 25 women) showed that 8 weeks treatment with topical metronidazole or terbinafine yielded similar effect in men and women [3]. Rosacea is a common chronic facial skin disease in which women are approximately 2-3 times more likely than men to be affected [4].

Adverse effects

No studies with a clinically relevant sex analysis regarding adverse effects of topical metronidazole have been found.

Reproductive health issues

Regarding teratogenic aspects, please consult the Drugs and Birth Defects Database (in Swedish, Janusmed fosterpåverkan).