THERAPEUTICS FOR THE CLINICIAN Clobetasol Propionate Lotion in the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Plaque-Type Psoriasis Jacques Decroix, MD; Henrik Pres, MD; Nicolaï Tsankov, MD; Michel Poncet, PhD; Stéphanie Arsonnaud Owing to its anti-inflammatory, antipruritic, soriasis is a lifelong condition, with onset vasoconstrictive, and immune-modulating prop- occurring at any time throughout life. It erties, clobetasol propionate is used to treat P affects men and women equally, and almost all psoriasis. This study was conducted to evaluate races in varying rates of frequency are affected. Pso- the efficacy, safety, and cosmetic acceptability riasis usually first appears between the ages of 15 of clobetasol propionate lotion compared with and 30 years and may occur anywhere on the body. its vehicle and with clobetasol propionate Psoriasis is an inherited condition; however, cream in the treatment of moderate to severe both genetic and environmental factors play an plaque-type psoriasis. important role in its onset and course. The condi- A total of 222 patients were treated. After tion has a considerable impact on quality of life, 4 weeks of treatment, clobetasol propionate with patients complaining about the messiness of lotion was more efficient than vehicle lotion and the topical agents used to treat the condition and of equivalent efficacy as clobetasol propionate the profound psychological impact of the treat- cream. Cosmetic acceptability was significantly ments and the condition.1-5 better with clobetasol propionate lotion than with Clobetasol propionate is known for its anti- clobetasol propionate cream. Clobetasol propi- inflammatory, antipruritic, vasoconstrictive, and onate lotion was efficient, safe, and well toler- immune-modulating properties and is currently ated and offers a significantly higher cosmetic used in the treatment of certain hyperproliferative advantage in the treatment of moderate to or inflammatory dermatoses, including psoriasis severe plaque-type psoriasis compared with and atopic dermatitis. Its safety and efficacy are clobetasol propionate cream. well-defined in the medical literature.6 Available Cutis. 2004;74:201-206. in the United States and Europe, clobetasol propi- onate is the most common corticosteroid used to treat moderate to severe plaque-type psoriasis.7 Accepted for publication March 22, 2004. Different formulations of clobetasol propionate Dr. Decroix is in private practice, Moucron, Belgium. Dr. Pres is are available. These creams and ointments, how- in private practice, Berlin, Germany. Dr. Tsankov is from the ever, have disadvantages: they are greasy and diffi- Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Alexander’s cult to apply on large areas, and may, for these University Hospital, Sofia, Bulgaria. Dr. Poncet is from Galderma reasons, have an impact on the patient’s quality of R&D, Sophia Antipolis, France. Ms. Arsonnaud is from Galderma R&D, Cranbury, New Jersey. life. In the past, different vehicles, such as foams and This study was funded by Galderma R&D, Sophia Antipolis, solutions, have been evaluated, and results showed France. The investigating authors received payments for the that patients preferred foam and solution over conduct of this research. Dr. Poncet and Ms. Arsonnaud are cream, gel, and ointment. These results suggest that employees of Galderma R&D. the characteristics of solution and foam may favor Reprints: Stéphanie Arsonnaud, Galderma R&D, 8 5 Cedar Brook Dr, Cranbury, NJ 08512 improved adherence to topical therapy. Hence, it (e-mail: [email protected]). was thought that a new clobetasol propionate VOLUME 74, SEPTEMBER 2004 201 Therapeutics for the Clinician formulation, such as a lotion, would provide an addi- nines. Safety was monitored through skin evaluation tional use in patients with moderate to severe of telangiectasia and skin atrophy, as well as adverse plaque-type psoriasis while showing the same efficacy events. Telangiectasia and skin atrophy at all appli- and safety profile as currently available formulations. cation sites were scored on a 0 (none) to 3 (severe) scale. A survey concerning the cosmetic acceptabil- Materials and Methods ity of the products was completed by each patient at This was a multicenter, randomized, investigator- the end of treatment. masked, active-controlled and vehicle-controlled, Statistics—The main objectives of the study parallel group study. It was conducted according to were to show the noninferior efficacy of clobetasol the Declaration of Helsinki and good clinical propionate lotion to clobetasol propionate cream practice. Before any study procedures, indepen- and the superior efficacy of clobetasol propionate dent ethics committee approvals for all study sites lotion to its vehicle. The noninferiority of clobeta- were obtained, and patients provided written sol propionate lotion versus cream was assessed by informed consent. using a 95% confidence interval (CI) approach. To Patients—Patients of any gender and race, 18 years conclude noninferiority, the difference in DSS or older, with stable, moderate to severe plaque- between the 2 drugs could not exceed 1 point, and type psoriasis were eligible to enroll in the study. the difference in GSS could not exceed 0.5 point. The target lesion had to measure at least 3 to 4 cm Both the per protocol population, with observed in diameter and not be localized to the scalp, face, cases, and the intent-to-treat (ITT) population, hands, or feet. Patients had to have at least a 10% with missing data inputted using the last observa- body surface area (BSA) involvement. Female tion carried forward, were analyzed for efficacy. patients had to have a negative urine pregnancy Analysis for efficacy variables and BSA were test at the beginning of the study. performed at all visits using an analysis of covari- There was a 4-week washout period for topical ance. Tests were 2 sided, and the 0.05 level was psoriasis treatments (ie, corticosteroids, other anti- used to declare significance. To assess noninferior- inflammatory drugs, anthralin, UV-light therapy ity, 95% CI of the difference in least square means [including sunbathing], retinoids, or vitamin D between both active drugs were calculated. analogs); a 2- to 16-week washout period for sys- Global improvement, scores of telangiectasia and temic psoriasis medications; and a 2-week washout skin atrophy, and each item of the cosmetic accept- period for patients who had regular sun exposure. ability survey were analyzed using the log-rank test. Test Material—Patients were randomized to receive clobetasol propionate lotion, its vehicle, or Results clobetasol propionate cream in a 3:1:3 ratio. Test Demographics and Baseline Data—A total of materials were applied twice daily for 4 weeks. The 222 patients were recruited in Germany, Bulgaria, study was investigator masked because 2 different Belgium, and France, with 94 patients in the clo- types of formulation were used. Appropriate proce- betasol propionate lotion group, 95 patients in the dures were applied to ensure investigator blinding. clobetasol propionate cream group, and 33 patients Clinical Assessments—Evaluation visits took place in the clobetasol propionate lotion vehicle group; at baseline and at weeks 1, 2, and 4. Erythema, plaque 213 patients completed the study. Nine patients elevation, scaling, pruritus, and global improvement withdrew from the study: 2 in the clobetasol propi- were evaluated for target lesions. Global severity and onate cream group for cleared conditions; 1 in the BSA were evaluated for all treated areas. lotion vehicle group for lack of efficacy; 1 in the Evaluation scores ranged from 0 (none) to clobetasol propionate lotion group for an adverse 4 (severe) for erythema, plaque elevation, scaling, event; and, by request, 2 patients in the clobetasol pruritus, and global severity. The dermatologic sum propionate lotion group and 3 patients in the score (DSS) was defined as the sum of erythema, lotion vehicle group. plaque elevation, and scaling for the target lesions. All patients had moderate to severe psoriasis at Global severity was dichotomized as “success” or baseline, with at least 20% BSA involved. Patient “failure,” where success was defined by a global characteristics at baseline are provided in the Table. severity score (GSS) of 0, 0.5, or 1, and failure was Treatment Compliance—The easiness of use of defined by a GSS of 2, 3, or 4. Global improvement clobetasol propionate lotion did not enhance an was rated by investigators and by patients on a scale excessive application on the areas to be treated of -1 (worse) to 5 (clear) at week 4 only. The per- compared with clobetasol propionate cream. Study centage of the BSA involved and treated was esti- drug compliance reached more than 97% in all mated and recorded at each visit using the rule of treatment groups. 202 CUTIS® Therapeutics for the Clinician Efficacy—In the ITT population, the DSS and patients in the lotion vehicle group. There was GSS decreased over time in both active treatment no significant difference between clobetasol propi- groups (Figures 1 and 2). The upper limit of the onate lotion and clobetasol propionate cream 95% CI for these differences after 4 weeks of treat- (Figure 3). These results were confirmed by the ment were inferior to the prespecified noninferior- patient’s assessment. ity margins of 1 point and 0.5 point, respectively The BSA involved in both active treatment (0.82 for the DSS and 0.24 for the GSS). Clobeta- groups decreased significantly