Evaluation of safety and efficacy of ketoconazole 2% and zinc pyrithione 1% shampoo in patients with moderate to severe dandruff--a postmarketing study.

A postmarketing study was conducted on 236 patients from 23 centres suffering from moderate to severe dandruff with a combination of ketoconazole and zinc pyrithione (1%) for a duration of 4 weeks with 2 weeks further follow-up. Scoring of dandruff was done on a 0-10 scale for each of the 6 regions of scalp at each week up to 6 weeks. The results indicate that there was a consistent improvement in dandruff scores over the treatment period and a reduction of > 90% was seen for all areas of scalp individually as well as collectively as compared to baseline. The treatment also showed significant improvement in other signs and symptoms such as erythema and itching, with a highly favourable adverse event profile. The overall assessment for global improvement by investigators showed good-excellent results with high acceptability amongst the patient population for the treatment. A combination shampoo of ketoconazole (2%) and zinc pyrithione (1%) offers a safe and effective option in the treatment of dandruff.