Perrigo Sodium Sulfacetamide and Sulfur
Dosage form: topical lotion
Drug class:Miscellaneous topical agents
Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Aug 23, 2021.
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DESCRIPTION:
Each mL of Sodium Sulfacetamide 10% and Sulfur 5% Lotion as dispensed contains 100 mg of sodium sulfacetamide and 50 mg of sulfur in a tinted lotion of 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol, butylparaben, colloidal activated attapulgite, diethanolamine, hydroxyethyl cellulose, iron oxides, lauramide DEA, methylparaben, polyethylene glycol 400 monolaurate, propylene glycol, purified water, simethicone emulsion, sodium chloride, sodium metabisulfite, sodium polynaphthalenesulfonate, talc, titanium dioxide, xanthan gum, and zinc oxide. Color Tinter contains an additional inactive ingredient, polyethylene glycol 400.
Sodium sulfacetamide is a sulfonamide with antibacterial activity while sulfur acts as a keratolytic agent. Chemically sodium sulfacetamide is N’-[(4-aminophenyl) sulfonyl]-acetamide, monosodium salt, monohydrate.
The structural formula is: 
CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY:
The most widely accepted mechanism of action of sulfonamides is the Woods-Fildes theory which is based on the fact that sulfonamides act as competitive antagonists to para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), an essential component for bacterial growth. While absorption through intact skin has not been determined, sodium sulfacetamide is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract when taken orally and excreted in the urine, largely unchanged. The biological half-life has variously been reported as 7 to 12.8 hours.
The exact mode of action of sulfur in the treatment of acne is unknown, but it has been reported that it inhibits the growth of Propionibacterium acnes and the formation of free fatty acids.
