Researchers, led by Emil A. Tanghetti, MD, reported that treatment with a fixed-combination halobetasol propionate (0.01%) and tazarotene (0.045%) lotion (HP/TAZ) was significantly more effective than the vehicle lotion in patients with psoriasis and 3% to 5% affected body surface area (BSA).
The report, published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology, theorized a synergistic effect from the combination that could increase the duration of remission and reduce adverse events (AEs), especially “those associated with independent use of halobetasol propionate and tazarotene, including skin atrophy and irritation.”
In the study, 232 adults with moderate/severe investigators global assessment (IGA) score and the indicated BSA were randomized to receive HP/TAZ or vehicle lotion once a day (HP/TAZ, n=149; vehicle, n=83). The outcomes assessed included treatment success (≥2-grade IGA reduction, clear/almost clear score), reduced BSA involvement, and clinically meaningful improvement on the dermatology life quality index (DLQI), defined as a decrease of ≥4.
At week eight, 42.7% of participants in the HP/TAZ group achieved treatment success, compared with only 11.4% in the vehicle lotion group (p < 0.001). Compared to the vehicle lotion, HP/TAZ also produced significantly greater reductions in BSA involvement (–36% versus –1.6%, p < 0.001), and a greater proportion of participants with a clinically meaningful improvement in DLQI (64.2% versus 47.4%, p < 0.05). Lastly, more participants achieved a ≥2-grade improvement in plaque elevation and scaling with in the HP/TAZ group (p < 0.001).
The report concluded that HP/TAZ displayed significantly improved efficacy after eight weeks compared to the vehicle lotion. The treatment also produced clinically meaningful improvements in quality of life, with no additional safety concerns in patients with plaque psoriasis and BSA involvement of 3% to 5%, HP/TAZ provided
Source: Journal of Drugs in Dermatology
