Comparing Clobetasol Propionate 0.05% Spray to Calcipotriene 0.005% Betamethasone Dipropionate 0.064% Ointment for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis

January 2009 | Volume 8 | Issue 1 | Original Article | 52 | Copyright © January 2009


Alan Menter MD, William Abramovits MD, Luz E. Colón MS, Lori A. Johnson PhD, Ronald W. Gottschalk MD

Abstract
Topical corticosteroids are widely used in the treatment of psoriasis. This study was conducted to compare the effi cacy and safety of clobetasol propionate (CP) 0.005% spray to calcipotriene 0.005%-betamethasome diproprionate 0.064% (C-BD) ointment in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Assessments were made at baseline, week 2, week 4 (end of treatment) and week 8 (4 weeks posttreatment). An assessment for Overall Disease Severity (ODS) found that 75% of CP spray-treated patients achieved a rating of clear or almost clear after 4 weeks of treatment compared to 45% of C-BD ointment-treated patients (P=.003). Adverse events were reported by less than one-third of patients from each treatment group (31% for CP spray and 33% for C-BD ointment).