Calcipotriene/betamethasone in the treatment of psoriasis: a review article.

Plaque-type psoriasis is a chronic and immune-mediated skin disease affecting approximately 1-3% of the Caucasian population. Most cases are of mild or moderate severity and benefit from local treatment that represents the mainstay therapy. Topical corticosteroids and vitamin D(3) analogues remain the option of choice. Optimization of these treatments is made by the combination of calcipotriene and betamethasone dipropionate. This formulation combines the keratinocyte differentiation and antiproliferative action of the vitamin D(3) analogues with the anti-inflammatory effect of steroids enhancing effectiveness while reducing the side-effect profile of the single topical agent. In this article, we highlight the advantages of the association of calcipotriene and betamethasone in the treatment of localized plaque-type, scalp and nail psoriasis.