The first large-scale clinical trial of a cheap drug used to treat high blood pressure has found that it could help thousands of women who suffer from persistent acne.
A team of researchers led by the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit found that the drug, spironolactone, could change the way acne in women is routinely treated and reduce the amount of antibiotics prescribed for the condition.
Acne is common in adolescence but almost a third of women who have it when young continue to be affected in their adult life, relying on creams and gels and antibiotics prescribed by a GP if these do not work.
