Background: Topical vitamin D analogues have been reported to be an effective treatment in patients with psoriasis. Comparative studies with existing treatments are required.
Objective: Our purpose was to compare the effectiveness of calcipotriol (50 micrograms/gm) and betamethasone 17-valerate (1 mg/gm) ointments twice daily in the treatment of stable plaque psoriasis.
Methods: This study was a randomized, double-blind comparison over 6 weeks in 409 patients. Efficacy, as measured by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), and safety were assessed at 2, 4, and 6 weeks.
Results: Reduction of PASI was statistically significant at all time points for both treatments but there were no significant between-treatment differences. At the completion of 6 weeks of treatment, the mean PASI reduction was 5.50 for calcipotriol and 5.32 for betamethasone (95% confidence interval [CI] -0.40 to 0.78). Analysis of patient assessment at 6 weeks showed clearance or marked improvement in 61.2% of the calcipotriol patients and 50.5% with betamethasone (95% CI 1.4 to 20.8). Calcipotriol produced significantly more local side effects (19.5% compared with 3.9%, p less than 0.001); however, these were minimal leading to withdrawal in only 3 of 205 patients.
Conclusion: Calcipotriol ointment was as effective as betamethasone 17-valerate ointment as measured by the PASI and superior as measured by self-assessment in patients with stable plaque psoriasis. Both treatments were well tolerated.