Safety and efficacy of calcipotriol plus betamethasone dipropionate gel in the treatment of scalp psoriasis in adolescents 12–17 years of age*

BACKGROUND Plaque psoriasis has a relatively high prevalence in adolescence, resulting in a significant impact on quality of life, including social interactions. OBJECTIVES The primary objective was to assess the safety of once-daily application of fixed-combination calcipotriol plus betamethasone dipropionate gel in adolescent scalp psoriasis. Assessment of efficacy was a secondary objective. METHODS This phase II, multicentre, single-arm, open-label, 8-week trial included patients aged 12-17 years with moderate-to-very severe scalp psoriasis according to Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) (≥ 10% of the scalp area affected). RESULTS Seventy-eight patients received treatment. Twenty-seven patients (35%) reported a total of 64 adverse events (AEs); most were mild (33/64) or moderate (22/64) in severity and there were no serious AEs. No cases of hypercalcaemia were reported, and the mean changes from baseline to end of treatment in albumin-corrected serum calcium (0·00 mmol L(-1)), 24-h urinary calcium excretion (-0·03 mmol per 24 h) and urinary calcium-to-creatinine ratio (-0·12 mmol g(-1)) were not considered clinically relevant. At the end of treatment 66 patients (85%) were clear or almost clear according to IGA. There was an 80% improvement in mean Total Sign Score from baseline to end of treatment. In total, at the end of treatment, 87% of patients rated their scalp psoriasis as clear or very mild, and 75 (96%) had no or mild pruritus compared with 14 (18%) at baseline. CONCLUSIONS Once-daily calcipotriol plus betamethasone dipropionate gel is well tolerated and efficacious for scalp psoriasis in adolescents.