Acne drug showdown: which pill works best for women?

NCT ID NCT04582383

First seen Nov 01, 2025 · Last updated Apr 28, 2026 · Updated 26 times

Summary

This study compares two common acne medications—spironolactone (a hormone blocker) and doxycycline (an antibiotic)—in 350 women aged 16 to 40 with moderate to severe acne. The goal is to see which treatment reduces pimples and improves skin appearance more effectively. Participants are randomly assigned to one of the two drugs, and neither they nor their doctors know which they receive.

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This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Arlington Research Center

    Arlington, Texas, 76011, United States

  • Brigham and Women's Hospital

    Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, United States

  • CCS Texas

    Houston, Texas, 77004, United States

  • Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

  • Cura Clinical Research

    Sherman Oaks, California, 92866, United States

  • Cyn3rgy Research

    Gresham, Oregon, 97030, United States

  • Dawes Fretzin Clinical Research Group

    Indianapolis, Indiana, 46250, United States

  • Dermatologists of Central States

    Cincinnati, Ohio, 45242, United States

  • Johnson Dermatology

    Fort Smith, Arkansas, 72916, United States

  • New Horizon Research Center

    Miami, Florida, 33165, United States

  • New York University

    New York, New York, 10016, United States

  • North Texas Center for Clinical Research

    Frisco, Texas, 75034, United States

  • Northwell Health

    North New Hyde Park, New York, 11042, United States

  • Ohio State University Medical Center

    Columbus, Ohio, 43215, United States

  • Oregon Health and Science University

    Portland, Oregon, 97239, United States

  • University of California San Francisco

    San Francisco, California, 94115, United States

  • University of Miami

    Miami, Florida, 33136, United States

  • University of Pennsylvania

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 45209, United States

Conditions

Explore the condition pages connected to this study.