Oral Pulse Azithromycin versus 6-week Doxycycline for Moderate to Severe Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: Randomised Clinical Trial

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Phase 4

Study type

Interventional

Source

TCTR

Registry ID

TCTR20180810001

Enrollment

150

Registered

2018-08-10

Start date

2018-09-11

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-08-03

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Moderate to Severe Meibomian Gland Dysfunction MGD, Moderate to Severe MGD, Moderate to Severe Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

Interventions

Azithromycin 1g (250 mg 2 capsules twice a day) orally once per week 3 weeks consecutively ,Doxycycline 100 mg twice daily for 6 weeks

Experimental Drug,Active Comparator Drug

Oral pulse azithromycin,Oral doxycycline

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Moderate to severe MGD patients (over the age of 18 years) who had not responded to conservative management: eyelid warming/massage/cleaning (4-5 min) twice a day and artificial tears (at least four times a day)

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: 1. History of vernal and atopic keratoconjunctivitis 2. History of rosacea 3. Altered lid anatomy 4. History of ocular and ocular adnexal surgery or punctual occlusion 5. Had taken systemic or topical antibiotics or retinoic acid or using topical anti-inflammatory medication (steroids or cyclosporin) within 1 month prior to the enrollment 6. Allergy to azithromycin, erythromycin, tetracycline or macrolide group 7. History of side-effect symptoms from the previous use of azithromycin or doxycyline or macrolides that persist or affect daily life 8. History of liver disease, renal disease, arrythmia or HIV infection 9. Pregnancy or breast feeding or plan to pregnant within 3 months 10. Contact lens use within 3 month prior to inclusion 11. Inability to comprehend the informed consent or complete the requested therapy and follow-up 12. Reject to sign an inform consent form

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Efficacy of oral pulse azithromycin and doxycycline Pre-treatment and at 8th week after treatment Reduction of score (6-sign score, 5-symptom score and total score)	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
Satfy of oral pulse azithromycin and doxycycline Pre-treatment, 6th and 8th week after treatment Presence of signs or symptoms	—

Countries

Thailand

Contacts

Public ContactPhit Upaphong

Faculty of medicine, Chiang Mai university

phit.u@cmu.ac.th053935512

Outcome results

None listed

Source: TCTR (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Aug 9, 2026