Calcipotriene Plus Betamethasone Dipropionate Foam for Mild Psoriasis: Pooled Results from Three Randomized Trials

Background Psoriasis vulgaris is not easy to manage, even when mild. Knowledge of the efficacy of most topical therapies in this population is limited. Objective To assess the efficacy of calcipotriene 0.005% plus betamethasone dipropionate 0.064% (Cal/BD) foam in patients with mild psoriasis. Methods Post hoc analysis was performed on pooled data for subjects with mild psoriasis at baseline from 2 Phase 3 and 1 Phase 2 clinical trials. All subjects applied Cal/BD foam or vehicle foam once daily for at least 4 weeks. Efficacy assessments included treatment success (defined as IGA=0), mPASI, BSA, and the composite IGAeBSA score. Results Of the 848 subjects, 164 had mild psoriasis at baseline. Within this subpopulation of mild subjects, Cal/BD foam demonstrated significant efficacy over vehicle at week 4 in terms of the proportion of subjects achieving complete clearance of visible lesions (IGA=0). Significant improvements were also observed for mPASI, BSA, and IGAeBSA score. Limitations These post hoc analyses need to be confirmed with prospective studies. Conclusion Once-daily Cal/BD foam for 4 weeks demonstrated effectiveness in treating subjects with mild psoriasis, a population in which demonstration of treatment success can be difficult, because of the requirement for complete clearance of visible disease. Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02132936, NCT01866163, and NCT01536938 J Drugs Dermatol. 2021;20(8):822-828. doi:10.36849/JDD.5743.