title: Calcipotriol cream with or without concurrent topical corticosteroid in psoriasis: tolerability and efficacy.
abstract: The objectives of the study were to determine whether concurrent treatment with calcipotriol (50 microg/g) and either clobetasone 17-butyrate cream (0.5 mg/g) (moderate potency) or betamethasone 17-valerate cream (1 mg/g) (potent) or placebo (vehicle of calcipotriol) was more effective and/or caused less skin irritation than calcipotriol cream (50 microg/g) used twice daily. It was a multicentre, double-blind, parallel group study. Patients applied calcipotriol cream in the morning and either vehicle (n = 174), calcipotriol (n = 174), clobetasone (n = 175) or betamethasone creams (n = 176) in the evening for up to 8 weeks. Adverse events led to withdrawal in 20 patients (2.9%). The mean percentage change in PASI (psoriasis area and severity index) was -40.6 in the calcipotriol/vehicle group, -48.3 in the calcipotriol/calcipotriol group, -53.7 in the calcipotriol/clobetasone 17-butyrate group and -57.5 in the calcipotriol/betamethasone 17-valerate group. A statistically significant difference was seen between the four treatment groups (P = 0.006) with calcipotriol/vehicle being less effective than the other treatments. A statistically significant difference in favour of calcipotriol/betamethasone 17-valerate was seen between the calcipotriol/calcipotriol group and the calcipotriol/betamethasone 17-valerate group. The majority of adverse events were skin irritations, which were reported for 31.2% of patients treated with calcipotriol/vehicle, 34.3% of patients treated with calcipotriol twice daily and 23.8% vs. 17.1% of patients treated with calcipotriol/clobetasone 17-butyrate and calcipotriol/betamethasone 17-valerate, respectively. Skin irritation was seen statistically significantly less frequently in patients treated with calcipotriol/ clobetasone 17-butyrate or calcipotriol/betamethasone 17-valerate (P = 0.001), whereas no difference was seen between the other groups. In conclusion, calcipotriol applied twice daily was as effective as calcipotriol/clobetasone 17-butyrate, but slightly less effective than calcipotriol/betamethasone 17-valerate. The incidence of skin irritation was less for patients using concurrent corticosteroids, whereas treatment with calcipotriol/vehicle did not reduce the incidence of skin irritation when compared with calcipotriol twice daily.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Marselisborg Hospital, DK-800 Aarhus C, Denmark.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kragballe
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Hamberg
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hutchinson
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Møller
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ruzicka
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Van De Kerkhof
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001623:Betamethasone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002117:Calcitriol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002990:Clobetasol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003879:Dermatologic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D003879:Dermatologic Agents; C055085:calcipotriene; C010893:clobetasone butyrate; D001623:Betamethasone; D002990:Clobetasol; D002117:Calcitriol