Comparison of the Sensitivity Test of Generic and Branded Antifungal Drugs Against Malassezia
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.main##
Muh. Rikho Pratama H.S.
Andi Sitti Fahirah Arsal
Andi Masdipa
Wisudawan
Andi Alamanda Irwan
Abstract
Introduction: Malassezia furfur is a lipophilic yeast commonly associated with pityriasis versicolor, characterized by skin discoloration and mild pruritus. Antifungal therapy is available as generic and branded products, yet differences in laboratory efficacy and cost implications remain relevant for clinical decision-making.
Objective: To compare the in vitro antifungal susceptibility of generic versus branded antifungal agents against M. furfur using the disk diffusion method and to consider the economic implications.
Methods: A laboratory experimental study was conducted using disk diffusion susceptibility testing on M. furfur isolates. Generic ketoconazole was compared with several branded formulations. The primary outcome was the inhibition zone diameter as an indicator of antifungal effectiveness. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA followed by Tukey’s post hoc test to identify intergroup differences.
Results: Both generic ketoconazole and branded antifungal agents demonstrated good inhibitory activity against M. furfur. Certain branded products, particularly Brand D showed a slightly larger mean inhibition zone diameter than the generic formulation. ANOVA and Tukey’s tests indicated statistically significant differences among some treatment groups. However, the incremental advantage observed in selected branded products was not proportional to their higher prices, as the generic drug remained substantially more affordable while maintaining comparable inhibitory performance.
Conclusions: Based on the results, it is concluded that both generic and branded antifungal topical (ointment) and antifungal oral (capsule) demonstrated "sensitive" results against Malassezia furfur, with no statistically significant difference in efficacy between them.
Downloads
##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.details##
Copyright (c) 2026 Muh. Rikho Pratama H.S., Andi Sitti Fahirah Arsal, Andi Masdipa, Wisudawan, Andi Alamanda Irwan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
Ahmad, I., Farheen, M., Kukreti, A., Afzal, O., Akhter, M. H., Chitme, H., Visht, S., Altamimi, A. S. A., Alossaimi, M. A., Alsulami, E. R., Jaremko, M., & Emwas, A.-H. (2023). Natural Oils Enhance the Topical Delivery of Ketoconazole by Nanoemulgel for Fungal Infections. ACS Omega, 8(31), 28233–28248. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.3c01571
Al Aboody, M. S., & Mickymaray, S. (2020). Anti-Fungal Efficacy and Mechanisms of Flavonoids. Antibiotics, 9(2), 45. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics9020045
Alsuhibani, A. A., Alobaid, N. A., Alahmadi, M. H., Alqannas, J. S., Alfreaj, W. S., Albadrani, R. F., Alamer, K. A., Almogbel, Y. S., Alhomaidan, A., & Guo, J. J. (2025). Antifungal Agents’ Trends of Utilization, Spending, and Prices in the US Medicaid Programs: 2009–2023. Antibiotics, 14(5), 518. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics14050518
Amanda Dwijayanti, & Musa Fitri Fatkhiyah. (2025). Analisis Pengetahuan Penggunaan Obat Paten dan Obat Generik di Desa Sukorejo Kecamatan Ulujami Kabupaten Pemalang. OBAT: Jurnal Riset Ilmu Farmasi Dan Kesehatan, 3(1), 75–92. https://doi.org/10.61132/obat.v3i1.973
Azis, M. (2022). Tingkat Pengetahuan Masyarakat Tentang Obat Generik dan Obat dengan Nama Dagang di Apotek K24 Bawakarang Makassar. Jurnal Farmasi Pelamonia, 2(1), 60–67. https://ojs.iikpelamonia.ac.id/index.php/Pharmacy/article/view/339
Darma, B. (2021). Statistika Penelitian Menggunakan SPSS (Uji Validitas, Uji Reliabilitas, Regresi Linier Sederhana, Regresi Linier Berganda, Uji t, Uji F, R2). Guepedia.
de Sousa, E. S. O., Cortez, A. C. A., de Souza Carvalho Melhem, M., Frickmann, H., & de Souza, J. V. B. (2020). Factors Influencing Susceptibility Testing of Antifungal Drugs: A Critical Review of Document M27-A4 From The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). Brazilian Journal of Microbiology, 51(4), 1791–1800. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42770-020-00354-6
Eliya Mursyida, & Yashi Putri Anjeli. (2024). Nanopartikel Perak dari Ekstrak Kulit Nanas: Potensi Antifungal terhadap Malassezia furfur ATCC 14521. Termometer: Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Kesehatan Dan Kedokteran, 3(1), 101–114. https://doi.org/10.55606/termometer.v3i1.4563
Eniayewu, O. ., Faidat, F. ., Afosi, A. ., Bamidele, O. ., Abdullahi S.T, A. S. ., Abdullahi, S. ., Aiyelero, O. ., & Giwa, H. . (2025). Preliminary Quality Evaluation of New Generic Brands of Ciprofloxacin Tablets. International Journal of Science for Global Sustainability, 11(3), 275–280. https://doi.org/10.57233/ijsgs.v11i3.944
Freilich, J., & Kesselheim, A. S. (2025). Frequency and Nature of Generic “Design Around” of Brand‐Name Patents in the United States. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 118(1), 190–194. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpt.3659
Galvis‐Marín, J. C., Celis‐Ramírez, A. M., Tabares‐Villa, F. A., Zuluaga‐Vélez, A., & Sepúlveda‐Arias, J. C. (2025). Characterisation of Antifungal Resistance to Azoles in Colombian Isolates of Malassezia spp. Mycoses, 68(9), e70112. https://doi.org/10.1111/myc.70112
Ketaren, D. R., Suhartomi, S., Fadillah, Q., Panjaitan, J. S. G., Syarifah, S., & Sihombing, J. R. (2024). Perbandingan Obat Anti Jamur Ketoconazole dan Salep 2-4 Pada Kasus Tinea Pedis di Tempat Pembuangan Akhir Sampah Terjun Kota Medan. Kieraha Medical Journal, 6(2), 122–128. https://doi.org/10.33387/kmj.v6i2.9100
Leong, C., Chan, J. W. K., Lee, S. M., Lam, Y. I., Goh, J. P. Z., Ianiri, G., & Dawson, T. L. (2021). Azole Resistance Mechanisms in Pathogenic Malassezia furfur. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 65(5), e01975-20. https://doi.org/10.1128/AAC.01975-20
Massiot, P., Clavaud, C., Thomas, M., Ott, A., Guéniche, A., Panhard, S., Muller, B., Michelin, C., Kerob, D., Bouloc, A., & Reygagne, P. (2022). Continuous Clinical Improvement of Mild‐To‐Moderate Seborrheic Dermatitis and Rebalancing of The Scalp Microbiome Using A Selenium Disulfide–Based Shampoo After an Initial Treatment With Ketoconazole. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, 21(5), 2215–2225. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocd.14362
Miranda, M., Volmer, Z., Cornick, A., Goody, A., Cardoso, C., Pais, A. A. C. C., Brown, M., & Vitorino, C. (2024). In Vitro Studies Into Establishing Therapeutic Bioequivalence of Complex Topical Products: Weight of Evidence. International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 656, 124012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2024.124012
Mishra, P., Pandey, C., Singh, U., Gupta, A., Sahu, C., & Keshri, A. (2019). Descriptive Statistics and Normality tests For Statistical Data. Annals of Cardiac Anaesthesia, 22(1), 67. https://doi.org/10.4103/aca.ACA_157_18
Park, M., Cho, Y.-J., Lee, Y. W., & Jung, W. H. (2020). Genomic Multiplication and Drug Efflux Influence Ketoconazole Resistance in Malassezia restricta. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 10, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2020.00191
Pusmarani, J., Tilu, M. A., & Juliansyah, R. (2023). Uji Aktivitas Antijamur Ekstrak Etanol Biji Keben ( Barringtonia asiatica L .) Terhadap Jamur Malassezia furfur Antifungal Activity of Ethanol Extract of Keben Seeds ( Barringtonia asiatica L .) Against Malassezia furfur Info Artikel : Penyakit infeksi me. Jurnal Pharmacia Mandala Waluya, 2(4), 199–210. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.54883/jpmw.v2i4.23
Rahmi Safira, & Wizar Putri Mellaratna. (2024). Pitiriasis Versikolor. Termometer: Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Kesehatan Dan Kedokteran, 2(3), 112–121. https://doi.org/10.55606/termometer.v2i3.4077
Rakhmawatie, M. D., Lumban Gaol, T. R., & Kurniati, I. D. (2022). Aktivitas Antifungi Cuka Nanas (Ananas Comosus) Pada Pertumbuhan Jamur Malassezia Furfur. Biomedika, 14(2), 136–146. https://doi.org/10.23917/biomedika.v14i2.18564
Shin, J., & Bae, S. (2023). In Vitro Effects of Omeprazole in Combination with Antifungal Compounds Against Malassezia Pachydermatis. Veterinary Medicine and Science, 9(6), 2594–2599. https://doi.org/10.1002/vms3.1305
Shufyani, F., Katiandagho, D., Hayati, R., Fitri, K., Tanjung, D. A., Harahap, N. D., Jannah, F., Sya’diah, Y., Rahmi, S., Fadhilah, H., Kurniasih, D. A. A., & Brata, A. (2025). Farmakoepidemiologi. Media Pustaka Indo.
Silva, L. B. B. da, Castilho, I. G., Souza Silva, F. A. de, Ghannoum, M., Garcia, M. T., & Carmo, P. H. F. do. (2025). Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy for Superficial, Skin, and Mucosal Fungal Infections: An Update. Microorganisms, 13(6), 1406. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms13061406
Weinstein, M. P., & Lewis, J. S. (2020). The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute Subcommittee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing: Background, Organization, Functions, and Processes. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 58(3), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1128/JCM.01864-19
Wulandari, M., Arsal, A. S. F., Sodiqah, Y., Fattah, N., & Hadele, A. M. (2025). Comparison of The Sensitivity of Generic and Branded Ciprofloxacin Antibiotics Against Salmonella Typhi. Healthy Tadulako Journal (Jurnal Kesehatan Tadulako), 11(3), 352–360. https://doi.org/10.22487/htj.v11i3.1659