Feasibility, Tolerability, Safety and Efficacy of a Pantothenic Acid Based Dietary Supplement in Subjects with Mild to Moderate Facial Acne Blemishes

Abstract

Objective: It has been suggested that pantothenic acid may have antibacterial and skin softening activity. The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility, tolerability, safety and preliminary efficacy of oral administration of a dietary supplement containing pantothenic acid in healthy human males and females with mild to moderate facial acne vulgaris. Methods: An open-label, single arm study of healthy adults who had been previously diagnosed with mild to moderate acne vulgaris was performed. Subjects were asked to take the study agent, a dietary supplement containing pantothenic acid, for eight weeks. The primary endpoint of the study was to assess the feasibility of oral administration of the study agent in subjects over an eight week period. Safety and tolerability were measured utilizing the assessment of adverse events by the National Cancer Institute’s Common Criteria for Adverse Event Reporting. Secondary endpoints measuring the efficacy of an oral panthothetic acid dietary supplement for the treatment of mild to moderate facial acne utilized changes in the extent of global facial skin blemishes, assessment of quality of life utilizing the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and analysis of questions about the subject's beliefs and attitudes towards skin care and lifestyle. Results: Eleven subjects were enrolled and ten completed the study (90.9%). There were no reported adverse events. Of the 10 evaluable subjects, the average age (mean ± SD) was 31.8 ± 8. Analysis of the global number of skin blemishes demonstrated a significant mean reduction in lesion count following the use of the study agent at week 8 (endpoint) (11.18 ± 6.38, p = 0.02) compared to the average number of baseline blemishes (20.45 ± 10.44). DLQI scores were significantly lower at week 8 vs. baseline (p = 0.0194). Conclusions: The results from this study indicated that the administration of a pantothenic based dietary supplement in healthy human adults with mild to moderate acne vulgaris is feasible, safe and well tolerated. Secondary analysis shows that administration of the study agent significantly reduced global facial blemishes. Further randomized, placebo-controlled trials are warranted.