COMPARATIVE EFFICACY OF ONCE-DAILY FLURANDRENOLIDE TAPE VERSUS TWICE-DAILY DIFLORASONE DIACETATE OINTMENT IN THE TREATMENT OF PSORIASIS

Background: Flurandrenolide tape has recently been listed as a group I topical corticosteroid. There are no studies that compare this produc t to group I ointments in the treatment of steroid-responsive dermatos es. Objective: Our purpose was to determine the relative efficacy of f lurandrenolide (4 mu g/cm(2)) tape versus 0.05% diflorasone diacetate ointment in plaque psoriasis. Methods: Thirty patients participated in an investigator-blinded, randomized, bilateral paired-comparison stud y of flurandrenolide tape applied to lesions of one side of the body o nce daily for up to 16 hours versus diflorasone diacetate ointment app lied contralaterally twice daily. Lesions were assessed at baseline, t hen reevaluated at 2 and 4 weeks. Results: Flurandrenolide tape-treate d plaques showed consistently greater clearing in terms of erythema, s caling, induration, and treatment success for all plaques, as well as the subset of knee and elbow plaques, when compared with the lesions r eceiving diflorasone diacetate ointment. Conclusion: The efficacy of f lurandrenolide tape in the treatment of psoriatic plaques surpasses th at of diflorasone diacetate ointment.