Clinical experience with 0.05% halometasone/1% triclosan cream in the treatment of acute infected and infection-prone eczema in Egypt.

This is a report of a non-comparative trial to assess the usefulness of a 0.05% halometasone and 1% triclosan combination in a cream base in the treatment of acute infected and infection-prone eczematous skin disorders. The trial was carried out in three centres. Of the 126 patients admitted to the trial, 25 were lost to follow-up. The remaining 101 patients utilized the cream as the only treatment during the 3-week duration of therapy. Medication was applied to the lesions twice daily without occlusive dressing. The cream gave either excellent or good results in 89% of cases. Infection, which was initially present in 38 cases, disappeared within 5 days from 27 (71%) of them and within 6-10 days from a further six (16%) cases. The therapeutic effect was first noted (in 43 cases) within a mean of 2.7 days (+/- 1.01). The cream did not give rise to any serious local unwanted effects. Systemic unwanted effects were suspected in an 8-month old infant with extensive atopic dermatitis. The findings in this study substantiate those of other investigators that this halometasone/triclosan preparation combines potent and rapid therapeutic effect with excellent local and systemic tolerability.