Comparison of tacalcitol ointment with short-contact dithranol therapy in the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris: a randomized multicentre, open prospective study on efficacy and safety

A multicentre, randomized, open, prospective, parallel-group trial was carr ied out to compare the efficacy, tolerability and safety of topical treatme nt with tacalcitol ointment (4 mu g/g, applied once daily) with that of sho rt-contact dithranol therapy. The tolerability of tacalcitol was significan tly (P = 0.002) better and its efficacy was slightly better. Tacalcitol pro ved to be less (P < 0.001) irritant than dithranol and did not stain the sh in or clothes. The results suggest that tacalcitol is more convenient to us e in plaque-type psoriasis than dithranol and does not produce the side-eff ects of topical corticosteroids and tar, malting the drug a first-line trea tment for chronic plaque psoriasis.