INTRODUCTION
Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin condition common in the Western world, affecting 2-4% of the population.1,2 Although prevalence is similar in males and females,1 some sex-specific differences have been identified, including age of onset,3 disease severity,4 types of treatment,5 adherence rates,6 and global satisfaction.7,8 For instance, males are more likely to have greater disease severity and to receive more intensive systemic therapies, particularly biologics,5 while females have higher rates of adherence6 yet are more dissatisfied with treatment because of side effects and quality-of-life issues.7-10 For these reasons, new therapies for moderate-to-severe psoriasis, particularly medications that are safe and effective in females, are needed to address sex-specific concerns.
Topical therapy using corticosteroids is a mainstay for management of most psoriasis patients. For mild disease, it is a first-line strategy, while corticosteroids are often used as adjunctive agents along with systemic treatments for more severe psoriasis.11 However, topical corticosteroid use is limited by safety concerns associated with long-term administration beyond 2-4 weeks, which may be mitigated by combining these drugs with another common psoriasis medication, tazarotene.12 Such a pairing has the potential to reduce risk of steroid-induced atrophy and tazarotene-induced irritancy while enhancing efficacy and maintaining therapeutic benefit.13,14 The fixed combination of halobetasol propionate 0.01%/tazarotene 0.045% lotion (HP/TAZ), which uses novel polymeric emulsion technology to create a synergistic effect, has demonstrated better active ingredient absorption than separately layering HP and TAZ.15,16 In addition, HP/TAZ lotion has been shown in previous phase 3 studies to offer rapid and sustained effectiveness and good tolerability.17,18 In this paper, we present results from a post hoc analysis evaluating sex-specific efficacy and safety of HP/TAZ lotion for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis.
Topical therapy using corticosteroids is a mainstay for management of most psoriasis patients. For mild disease, it is a first-line strategy, while corticosteroids are often used as adjunctive agents along with systemic treatments for more severe psoriasis.11 However, topical corticosteroid use is limited by safety concerns associated with long-term administration beyond 2-4 weeks, which may be mitigated by combining these drugs with another common psoriasis medication, tazarotene.12 Such a pairing has the potential to reduce risk of steroid-induced atrophy and tazarotene-induced irritancy while enhancing efficacy and maintaining therapeutic benefit.13,14 The fixed combination of halobetasol propionate 0.01%/tazarotene 0.045% lotion (HP/TAZ), which uses novel polymeric emulsion technology to create a synergistic effect, has demonstrated better active ingredient absorption than separately layering HP and TAZ.15,16 In addition, HP/TAZ lotion has been shown in previous phase 3 studies to offer rapid and sustained effectiveness and good tolerability.17,18 In this paper, we present results from a post hoc analysis evaluating sex-specific efficacy and safety of HP/TAZ lotion for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis.
