Tacalcitol for Psoriasis Treatment
Title: Tacalcitol in the treatment of psoriasis
vulgaris: the Spanish experience.
Authors: Lecha M, et al.
Publication: J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2005
Jul;19(4):414-7.
The authors wanted to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability
of tacalcitol (vitamin D derivative) ointment in moderate psoriasis.
To do this, they conducted a 2 month multi-center, open-label
study in patients treated with tacalcitol (4 microg/g) in ointment
formula once daily. A two month follow-up was performed to assess
the efficacy and tolerability of the drug.
Psoriatic lesion was selected in each patient to assess the following
clinical symptoms:
- erythema or redness
- desquamation or shedding
- thickness of the skin
These symptoms were evaluated by means of a five-point scale
with 4 being maximal severity. The percentages of area affected,
adverse side effects, as well as physician’s and patient’s
global assessment of efficacy were evaluated after 15 to 30 days
(first visit) and 2 months (second visit) of treatment.
A total of 556 patients were included, with the average psoriasis
duration of 10.1 years. Follow up data were available for 493
patients during the first follow-up visit and 449 in the second
or final visit.
The authors found the following results:
| |
Before treatment |
First visit |
Second Visit |
| Average reduction in lesion surface area |
195.8 cm2 per lesion |
11.1 cm2 |
|
| Erythema or redness |
|
2.2 +/- 0.8 |
1.1 +/- 0.8 (with 19% of patients with no redness at all) |
| Desquamation or shedding |
|
2.4 +/- 0.8 |
0.6 +/- 0.7 (with 55% of patients with no shedding) |
| Thickness |
|
2.2 +/- 0.9 |
0.8 +/- 0.6 (with 51% of patients with less thickness) |
| Change in total body area affected |
Mean percentage of total body involvement was 14% (7.5%
in front of the body and 6.9% in the back) |
|
3.2% decrease in the front of the body
3.0% decrease in the back of the body
|
| Good or very good physician's assessement of efficacy |
|
|
94% |
| Good or very good physician's assessment of tolerability |
|
|
74% |
| Satisfactory or very satisfactory patient's assessment
of the treatment |
|
|
78% |
| Side effects |
|
1% |
0.6% |
The authors noted that the patients’ compliance in using
the prescribed dosages was:
| Prescribed Dosage |
Patients |
| More than 80% |
88% |
| 50% to 80% |
9.3% |
| Less than 50% |
2.3% |
The authors concluded that tacalcitol was highly effective in
treatment of moderate psoriasis and that compliance with the prescribed
dosages was very high, probably due to the ease and convenience
of application. The physicians’ global assessment of the
efficacy and tolerability of tacalcitol was also very high. The
drug also has low rates of side effects. The author’s result
in an everyday clinical setting showed that tacalcitol was a useful
treatment in patients with moderate psoriasis.
