A novel vehicle for the treatment of psoriasis

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the topical use of an aerosol foam combination of calcipotriol 50 mu g/g plus betamethasone dipropionate 0.5 mg/g (Cal/BD foam, Enstilar (R)) in adults with moderate plaque psoriasis. A total of 120 male and female adult psoriasis patients (53.3% male) from two Italian dermatological units were enrolled in an 8-week prospective study performed between November 2018 and January 2019. Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) was evaluated at baseline (T0) and 4 weeks (T4) of daily application, and a further evaluation was carried out 4 weeks after suspension (T8). Furthermore, the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) was evaluated at baseline and after 4 weeks of treatment (T4). At baseline, patients presented a mean PASI of 7 (7.0 +/- 2.1). After 4 weeks (T4) of once-daily application, an important improvement in PASI was observed (1.1 +/- 0.3). At Week 4, DLQI was reduced by 5.5 points from baseline (mean: 12 +/- 3.1 at T0 vs 6.5 +/- 1.8 at T4). Four weeks after suspension (T8), mean PASI was 2.6 +/- 1.9, which was stable compared to the previous evaluation; only 8.3% of the treated patients showed worsening of plaque psoriasis. This study suggested that the Cal/BD aerosol foam is an effective topical therapy to treat plaque psoriasis.