A Study To Evaluate The Safety And Therapeutic Equivalence of Tazarotene Foam 0.1% in Subjects With Acne Vulgaris

Inclusion Criteria

Healthy male or nonpregnant female aged ≥ 12 and ≤ 40 years with a clinical diagnosis of acne vulgaris.

Informed Consent/Assent: Subjects ages 12 to 17 years inclusive must have provided IRB approved written assent; this written assent must be accompanied by an IRB approved written informed consent from the Subject's legally acceptable representative (i.e., parent or guardian). In addition, all Subjects or their legally acceptable representatives (i.e., parent or guardian) must sign a HIPAA authorization.

Subjects must have a minimum ≥ 30 non-inflammatory lesions (i.e., open and closed comedones) AND ≥ 25 inflammatory lesions (i.e., papules and pustules) AND no cystic lesions and only up to 1 facial nodular lesion (less than or equal to 5 mm) on the face. For the purposes of study treatment and evaluation, these lesions should be limited to the facial treatment area excluding the eyes, the lips, and angles of the nose (i.e. the lines around the nostrils and under the nostrils) and all mucus membranes. Subjects may have acne lesions on other areas of the body which will also be excluded from the count, treatment, and the Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) evaluation (e.g., on the back, chest and arms).

Subjects must have a severity grade 3, or 4 as per the Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) (Section 6.2).

Subjects must be willing to refrain from using all other topical acne medications or antibiotics during the 12-week treatment period for acne vulgaris, other than the Investigational Product.

Female Subjects of childbearing potential (excluding women who are surgically sterilized or postmenopausal for at least 1 year), must have a negative urine pregnancy test (with sensitivity down to at least 50mIU/ml hCG) within 2 weeks prior to baseline.

Female Subjects of childbearing potential (excluding women who are surgically sterilized or postmenopausal for at least 1 year), must be willing to use an acceptable form of birth control from the day of the first dose administration.. For the purpose of this study the following are considered acceptable methods of birth control: oral or injectable contraceptives, contraceptive patches, Depo-Provera® (stabilized for at least 3 months); NuvaRing® (vaginal contraceptive); Implanon™ (contraceptive implant) double barrier methods (e.g. condom and spermicide); IUD, or abstinence with a 2nd acceptable method of birth control should the Subject become sexually active. A sterile sexual partner is NOT considered an adequate form of birth control.

All male Subjects must agree to use accepted methods of birth control with their partners, from the day of the first dose administration. Abstinence is an acceptable method of birth control for males.

Subjects must be willing and able to understand and comply with the requirements of the protocol, including attendance at the required study visits.

Subjects who use make-up must have used the same brands/types of make-up for a minimum period of 14 days prior to study entry and must agree to not change make-up brand/type or frequency of use throughout the study.

-

Exclusion Criteria

Female Subjects who are pregnant, nursing or planning to become pregnant during study participation.

Subjects with a history of hypersensitivity or allergy to tazarotene and its excipients, and/or any of the study medication ingredients.

Subjects with the presence of any skin condition that would interfere with the diagnosis or assessment of acne vulgaris. Such conditions include, but are not limited to the following: auto immune disease, rosacea; seborrheic dermatitis; perioral dermatitis; corticosteroid-induced acne; carcinoid syndrome; mastocytosis; acneform eruptions caused by make-up, medication, facial psoriasis and facial eczema, squamous cell carcinoma, steroid folliculitis, or bacterial folliculitis).

Subjects who have acne congoblata, acne fulminans, and secondary acne (e.g., chloracne and drug induced acne) will be excluded f