Original Article A STUDY TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF ORAL TERBINAFINE AND A COMBINATION OF ORAL TERBINAFINE AND TOPICAL SERTACONAZOLE IN TINEA CORPORIS PATIENTS ATTENDING DERMATOLOGY OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, HYDERABAD SWATHI MIRYALA 1 , M. SNEHA MANJU 2* , PURAM GIRI RAJA 3 , MAHESH KUMAR K. 4 1 Department of Pharmacology, GMC Vikarabad, Telangana, India. 2* Department of Pharmacology, MediCiti Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, India. 3 Department of Pharmacology, GMC Nagarkurnool, Telangana, India. 4 Department of Pharmacology, Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, India * Corresponding author: M. Sneha Manju; * Email: sneha.vims@gmail.com Received: 10 Dec 2024, Revised and Accepted: 22 Feb 2025 ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of Oral Terbinafine (250 mg) and a combination of oral terbinafine (250 mg) and topical sertaconazole (2%) in patients with Tinea corporis attending Dermatology Out Patient Department (OPD), in a tertiary care centre. Methods: An open-labeled comparative study was conducted in Dermatology OPD at Osmania General Hospital for 12 mo. Patients diagnosed with tinea corporis were randomly assigned into two groups: Group A: 50 Patients received Oral Terbinafine (250 mg) and Group B: 50 Patients received combination of Oral Terbinafine (250 mg) and Topical Sertaconazole (2%) for 2 w. The patients were advised to come after 1 st and 2 nd w for follow-up visits. Results: The study involved 100 patients with tinea corporis, with a mean age of 32.42±8.48 years in Group A and 33.38±7.76 years in Group B. Most participants were males (Group A – 62%, Group B – 80%). Clinical features (itching, burning, scaling, crusting, vesicles, pustules) showed a significant reduction in Group B compared to Group A after 2 w of treatment, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.000001). Lesion size decreased more in Group B (from 26.1±14.9 to 2.0±1.2) than in Group A (from 24.5±14.4 to 6.01±4.2), with a significant difference (P<0.0000001). All specimens in Group B were free of fungal growth. Conclusion: Clinical cure and mycological cure were better with a Combination of Oral Terbinafine (250 mg) and Topical Sertaconazole (2%) than with Oral Terbinafine (250 mg) alone. Both drugs were well tolerated and no major adverse drug reactions were noted during the study period. Keywords: Tinea corporis, Oral terbinafine, Sertaconazole, 4-point rating scale, Clinical cure, Mycological cure © 2025 The Authors. Published by Innovare Academic Sciences Pvt Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.22159/ijcpr.2025v17i2.54212 Journal homepage: https://innovareacademics.in/journals/index.php/ijcpr INTRODUCTION Dermatophytosis (Tinea) refers to a superficial fungal infection characterized by scaly lesions on keratinized tissues, primarily caused by dermatophytes such as Microsporum, Trichophyton, and Epidermophyton. These fungi can infect the skin, hair, and nails of the host, with tinea corporis being the most prevalent form, affecting the trunk and limbs [1-3]. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global prevalence of dermatophytosis is estimated to be between 20 and 25%, with higher rates observed in tropical and subtropical regions like India, where elevated temperatures and humidity prevail for most of the year [4]. Recent studies indicate that the prevalence of dermatophytosis in India ranges from 36.6% to 78.4%, with tinea corporis accounting for 39.1% of cases [5]. This condition affects individuals of all ages and both sexes but is more common in males, with a male-to-female ratio of approximately 5.7:1, particularly among those aged 21 to 50 y [2, 6]. While tinea infections are typically painless and superficial, neglect or misdiagnosis can lead to invasive fungal infections that may become resistant and result in widespread lesions. Such complications can have significant negative impacts on social, psychological, and occupational well-being, ultimately compromising the quality of life [2, 6]. Localized and mild cases of tinea corporis generally respond well to topical treatments alone; however, more severe, extensive, and inflammatory lesions often require systemic therapy. Various antifungal medications, both topical (e.g., azoles and allylamines) and systemic, are available for the treatment of tinea corporis. Topical treatments tend to demonstrate superior pharmacokinetics compared to their systemic counterparts [4]. Thus, a combination of therapies is anticipated to yield better clinical outcomes and mycological clearance than either systemic or topical treatments alone. To ensure broad coverage and minimize the risk of resistance development, the combination should consist of agents from different drug classes. Despite the potential benefits of combination therapy, there is a lack of comparative studies in Indian literature examining the efficacy of combined systemic and topical treatments versus monotherapy with systemic antifungal agents [4]. Terbinafine [7-9] and Sertaconazole [10, 11] are reported to have higher efficacy among antifungals. Consequently, this study aims to evaluate the efficacy of oral Terbinafine alone and in combination with topical Sertaconazole for the treatment of tinea corporis. MATERIALS AND METHODS An open-labeled comparative study was conducted in Dermatology outpatient department at Osmania General Hospital for 12 mo. After obtaining ethical clearance from the institutional ethics committee of Osmania Medical College (with approval number ECR/300/Inst/AP/2013/RR-16), patients diagnosed with tinea corporis aged between 21 and 50 y, of both genders, not undergoing any other antifungal therapy and willing to provide informed consent for participation were included in this study. Patients diagnosed with systemic mycosis or mycosis affecting the hands, face, scalp, systemic diseases and pregnant or lactating women were excluded. After obtaining written informed consent from the eligible participants, thorough general physical examination and local examination of the lesion (size and border) was done to assess the International Journal of Current Pharmaceutical Research ISSN- 0975-7066 Vol 17, Issue 2, 2025