The efficacy, safety and tolerance of calcitriol 3 mu g/g ointment in the treatment of plaque psoriasis: A comparison with short-contact dithranol

Objective: A comparison of efficacy, safety and tolerance of a twice-daily application of calcitriol 3 mu g/g ointment with dithranol cream. Methods: The study was an 8-week, prospective, randomised, open, parallel-group tria l with 114 patients. Subjects received either 3 mu g/g calcitriol ointment (twice daily) or 0.25-2% dithranol cream (once daily for 30 min). Results w ere measured using global improvement, global severity, PASI, quality of li fe (QOL) and Psoriasis Disability Index scores. Safety was determined from reports of adverse events and blood chemistry analysis. Results: At final a ssessment, calcitriol and dithranol were comparably efficacious. Skin irrit ation was reported by 5% of calcitriol and 72% of dithranol patients. Patie nts rated QOL and overall acceptability of calcitriol more highly. Conclusi ons: Twice-daily calcitriol ointment (3 mu g/g) is equally effective as a o nce-daily, short-contact dithranol regimen. However, calcitriol is better t olerated than dithranol, and provides a better QOL and a greater patient ac ceptability. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.