Perspectives on isotretinoin and the Canadian Consensus Guidelines on treatment of acne.

Treatment objectives and pharmacoeconomic considerations are important when developing guidelines that are effective and rational. Canadian Acne Treatment Guidelines were last published in 1995. New guidelines were recently developed to incorporate therapeutic advances and data from more recent studies. Isotretinoin fulfills the major objectives of acne treatment and has clear pharmacoeconomic advantages when compared to conventional rotational oral antibiotics, antiandrogens and topical therapy in the treatment of moderate-to-severe acne. It should be considered the standard of treatment for scarring acne and moderate-to-severe non-scarring acne.