A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF CALCIPOTRIOL OINTMENT AND TAR IN CHRONIC PLAQUE PSORIASIS

The antipsoriatic efficacy, tolerability and safety of calcipotriol oi ntment was compared with tar in a prospective, right/left randomized, investigator-blinded controlled study. Calcipotriol ointment 50 mu g/g twice dairy was applied to one-half of the body. On the opposite side , white soft paraffin was applied in the morning, and coal tar solutio n BP 15% v/w in aqueous cream in the evening. Thirty patients with sta ble chronic plaque-type psoriasis were recruited. Assessments were mad e at 2, 4 and 6 weeks. Three patients were withdrawn from the study. A decrease in PASI score was seen on both sides at 2, 4 and 6 weeks. Th e differences from baseline between the two treatments were statistica lly significant in favour of calcipotriol. Improvement with calcipotri ol was rapid in the first 2 weeks of treatment. With tar, significant improvement occurred only after 4 weeks of treatment. The differences in the scores for erythema, induration and desquamation from baseline between the two treatments were also statistically significantly in fa vour of calcipotriol at all evaluation points. Seven patients develope d irritation on the calcipotriol-treated side, but there were no adver se effects on the tar-treated side. In two patients, itching associate d with psoriasis was reduced by the calcipotriol. Although the mean se rum calcium and phosphate levels remained within the normal ranges aft er 6 weeks' treatment, there were significant changes in their values compared with baseline.