Ciclopirox nail lacquer for the treatment of onychomycosis: An open non-comparative study

Onychomycosis is a relatively common disease accounting for up to 50% of all nail disorders. Topical treatment, although less effective than systemic, is usually preferred by patients. Topical antifungal nail lacquers have been formulated to provide better delivery of the antifungal agent to the nail unit. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ciclopirox nail lacquer in the treatment of onychomycosis. Patients suffering from distal and lateral subungual toenail onychomycosis (DLSO) and lateral subungual onychomycosis (LSO) were treated by ciclopirox nail lacquer once daily for 9 months. Every week the nail lacquer was removed using acetone. Clinical nail status, KOH examination and mycological culture were recorded by the same investigator at 0, 3, 6 and 9 months. Thirty-six patients completed the 9-month regimen. Trichophyton rubrum was the most common pathogen. At the end of the study, good improvement to complete cure was observed in 13 patients (36%), 12 patients showed only mild to moderate improvement and 11 patients (31%) had no clinical improvement. No adverse effects were noted throughout the treatment period. Ciclopirox nail lacquer seems to be slightly more effective than other topical modalities and could be used in patients who cannot or do not want systemic treatment.