Comparison of ketoconazole and griseofulvin in the treatment of tinea pedis

Twenty-nine patients with mycologically proven tinea pedis were randomly allocated to oral treatment with either ketoconazole 200 mg daily or griseofulvin 1 g daily for a period of up to 8 weeks. Mycological cure rate at 4 weeks was 33% for ketoconazole and 29% for griseofulvin, and at 8 weeks was 53% and 57% respectively. The efficacy of both drugs in the treatment of interdigital tinea pedis is similar, and is considerably lower than that found with topical imidazole preparations where cure rates of over 70% are generally expected.