Long-term efficacy and tolerability of topical calcipotriol in psoriasis. Results of an open study.

Calcipotriol is a non-calcaemic vitamin D3 analogue. In short-term studies, topically applied calcipotriol is both efficacious and safe for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris. The purpose of the present study was to determine the efficacy and safety of calcipotriol ointment in patients treated for approximately 6 months. Fifteen patients with plaque-type psoriasis were treated daily with calcipotriol ointment 50 micrograms/g. After treatment for 6 weeks there was a significant alleviation of erythema, infiltration and scaling. This degree of improvement was maintained throughout the study, except in one patient, who was withdrawn at week 15 because of minimal improvement. At the end of treatment, 80% of the patients showed a moderate improvement at least. Local adverse events occurred in 3 patients. These were mild and transient. Hypercalcaemia or other laboratory abnormalities did not develop in any patient. Morphometric examination of biopsies taken from perilesional skin (i.e. skin exposed to calcipotriol) at the end of treatment did not show signs of epidermal or dermal atrophy compared with uninvolved psoriatic skin. Although only a limited number of patients participated in the study, these results indicate that calcipotriol ointment 50 mu/g is both efficacious and safe for the long-term treatment of psoriasis.