Allergan is moving to expand its skin-care lines, in the Healthcare column

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Call it better performance through cream application.

Irvine’s Allergan Inc., the specialty drug maker, is eyeing the market for prescription acne medications with its Tazorac cream.

Tazorac, whose active ingredient is a topical retinoid called tazarotene, was approved earlier this month by the Food and Drug Administration for topical treatment of facial acne, the bane of many teens and a smattering of adults.

Last year, regulators OK’d Tazorac cream for the treatment of stable plaque psoriasis.

The cream’s approval for acne “is an integral part of our strategy to further expand Allergan’s skin care pharmaceutical business,” said F. Michael Ball, Allergan’s corporate vice president and president of the company’s North America region. Tazorac posted worldwide sales of $29.7 million for the nine months ended Sept. 28, up 35.4% from the year-ago period.

Tazorac cream is primarily used for patients with mild to moderate acne, according to Brett Fair, the medication’s product manager.

“It can be used up to severe (acne), as long as there’s not nodules, cysts or scarring,” Fair said.

In particular, Fair and Bill Humphries, Allergan’s vice president of sales and marketing for skin care, said they believe Tazorac cream could have particular appeal to women and to patients with sensitive skin.

“With a cream form, you have improved tolerability,” Fair said, noting that Tazorac’s also shown speed and efficacy in terms of treating the condition.

“There is a gender split. Males tend to prefer gels,” Humphries said, giving shaving products as an example.

On the other hand, according to Humphries, females are more used to applying creams such as makeup and moisturizers.

The total U.S. market for acne and psoriasis is approximately $900 million, according to Allergan.

According to Humphries, there are three major players in topical retinoid acne medication: Tazorac, Differin, a product of Fort Worth, Texas-based Galderma Laboratories Inc., a joint venture between L’Oreal SA and Nestle SA, and Johnson