Topical gel for psoriasis generates promising results

A European study’s preliminary findings suggest that psoriasis treatments with Daivobet gel (calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate, LEO Pharma) result in significant improvement in disease severity and patient preference.

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A statement issued by Danish firm LEO Pharma states that the study - “one of the largest and longest clinical trials ever conducted for a topical treatment in psoriasis” - showed that treatment with calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate proved highly efficacious, was preferred by patients, and improved patients' and physicians’ assessments of disease severity.

The study assessed 1,795 patients with mild-to-severe psoriasis across Europe who had not responded sufficiently to previous topical treatment. Following eight weeks of treatment with calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate gel, 36.5 percent of patients were clear or nearly clear of psoriasis symptoms.

Lead investigator Kristian Reich, M.D., of Dermatologikum Hamburg (Germany), tells Dermatology Times, “In this blinded interim analysis, the betamethasone/calcipotriol gel shows an excellent efficacy and safety profile in a large population of real-world patients with mild-to-moderate psoriasis who previously failed to respond to other topical therapies.”

According to the LEO Pharma statement, the trial is the first to assess whether a tailored patient-education and support program can improve adherence to topical therapy and increase clinical effectiveness for psoriasis patients.

Full data from the 64-week study are expected to be released in 2015. The study’s preliminary results were published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology Venereology.

Reference: Reich K, Zschocke I, Bachelez H, et al. Efficacy of a fixed combination of calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate topical gel in adult patients with mild to moderate psoriasis: blinded interim analysis of a phase IV, multicenter, randomized, controlled, prospective study. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 26 Oct 2014 [Epub ahead of print] http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jdv.12774/abstract

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