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warnings and cautions
5 WARNINGS AND PRECAUTIONS Ultraviolet Light and Environmental Exposure: Avoid exposure to sunlight and sunlamps. Wear sunscreen when sun exposure cannot be avoided. ( 5.1 ) Erythema, scaling, dryness, and stinging/burning were reported with use of DIFFERIN Gel. ( 5.2 ) 5.1 Ultraviolet Light and Environmental Exposure Exposure to sunlight, including sunlamps, should be minimized during use of DIFFERIN Gel, 0.3%. Patients who normally experience high levels of sun exposure, and those with inherent sensitivity to sun, should be warned to exercise caution. Use of sunscreen products and protective clothing over treated areas is recommended when exposure cannot be avoided. Weather extremes, such as wind or cold, also may be irritating to patients under treatment with DIFFERIN Gel, 0.3%. 5.2 Local Cutaneous Reactions Certain cutaneous signs and symptoms of treatment such as erythema, scaling, dryness, and stinging/burning were reported with use of DIFFERIN Gel, 0.3%. These were most likely to occur during the first four weeks of treatment, were mostly mild to moderate in intensity, and usually lessened with continued use of the medication. Depending upon the severity of these side effects, patients should be instructed to either use a moisturizer, reduce the frequency of application of DIFFERIN Gel, 0.3% or discontinue use. Avoid contact with the eyes, lips, angles of the nose, and mucous membranes. The product should not be applied to cuts, abrasions, eczematous or sunburned skin. As with other retinoids, use of "waxing" as a depilatory method should be avoided on skin treated with adapalene. As DIFFERIN Gel has the potential to induce local irritation in some patients, concomitant use of other potentially irritating topical products (medicated or abrasive soaps and cleansers, soaps and cosmetics that have a strong drying effect and products with high concentrations of alcohol, astringents, spices, or lime) should be approached with caution. 5.3 Allergic/ Hypersensitivity Reactions Reactions characterized by symptoms such as pruritus, face edema, eyelid edema, and lip swelling, requiring medical treatment have been reported during postmarketing use of adapalene. A patient should stop using DIFFERIN Gel, 0.3% and consult a doctor if experiencing allergic or anaphylactoid/anaphylactic reactions (e.g., skin rash, pruritus, hives, chest pain, edema, and shortness of breath) during treatment.
6 ADVERSE REACTIONS The most frequently reported (≥ 1%) adverse reactions were dry skin, skin discomfort, pruritus, desquamation, and sunburn. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Galderma Laboratories, L.P. at 1-866-735-4137 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6.1 Clinical Studies Experience Because clinical studies are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reactions rates observed in the clinical studies of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical studies of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. In the multi-center, controlled clinical trial, signs and symptoms of local cutaneous irritation were monitored in 258 acne patients who used DIFFERIN Gel, 0.3% once daily for 12 weeks. Of the patients who experienced cutaneous irritation (erythema, scaling, dryness, and/or burning/stinging), the majority of cases were mild to moderate in severity, occurred early in treatment and decreased thereafter. The incidence of local cutaneous irritation with DIFFERIN Gel, 0.3% from the controlled clinical study is provided in the following table: Table 1: Physician assessed local cutaneous irritation with DIFFERIN Gel Incidence of Local Cutaneous Irritation with DIFFERIN Gel, 0.3% from Controlled Clinical Study (N = 253*) Maximum Severity Scores Higher Than Baseline Mild Moderate Severe Erythema 66 (26.1%) 33 (13.0%) 1 (0.4%) Scaling 110 (43.5%) 47 (18.6%) 3 (1.2%) Dryness 113 (44.7%) 43 (17.0%) 2 (0.8%) Burning/Stinging 72 (28.5%) 36 (14.2%) 9 (3.6%) * Total number of subjects with local cutaneous data for at least one post-Baseline evaluation. Table 2: Patient reported local cutaneous adverse reactions with DIFFERIN Gel DIFFERIN (adapalene) Gel, 0.3% Vehicle Gel N=258 N=134 Related* Adverse Reactions 57 (22.1%) 6 (4.5%) Dry Skin 36 (14%) 2 (1.5%) Skin Discomfort 15 (5.8%) 0 (0.0%) Desquamation 4 (1.6%) 0 (0.0%) * Selected adverse reactions defined by investigator as Possibly, Probably or Definitely Related Related adverse reactions from the controlled clinical trial that occurred in greater than 1% of patients who used DIFFERIN Gel, 0.3% once daily included: dry skin (14.0%), skin discomfort (5.8%), pruritus (1.9%), desquamation (1.6%), and sunburn (1.2%). The following selected adverse reactions occurred in less than 1% of patients: acne flare, contact dermatitis, eyelid edema, conjunctivitis, erythema, pruritus, skin discoloration, rash, and eczema. In a one-year, open-label safety study of 551 patients with acne who received DIFFERIN Gel, 0.3%, the pattern of adverse reactions was similar to the 12-week controlled study. 6.2 Postmarketing Experience The following adverse reactions have been identified during post approval use of adapalene: skin irritation, application site pain, face edema, eyelid edema, lip swelling, and angioedema. Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate the frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.