Comparative efficacy of once-daily flurandrenolide tape versus twice-daily diflorasone diacetate ointment in the treatment of psoriasis.

Author(s): Krueger GG, O'Reilly MA, Weidner M, Dromgoole SH, Killey FP

Affiliation(s): Department of Dermatology, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City 84132, USA.

Publication date & source: 1998-02, J Am Acad Dermatol., 38(2 Pt 1):186-90.

Publication type: Clinical Trial; Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Flurandrenolide tape has recently been listed as a group I topical corticosteroid. There are no studies that compare this product to group I ointments in the treatment of steroid-responsive dermatoses. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to determine the relative efficacy of flurandrenolide (4 microg/cm2) tape versus 0.05% diflorasone diacetate ointment in plaque psoriasis. METHODS: Thirty patients participated in an investigator-blinded, randomized, bilateral paired-comparison study of flurandrenolide tape applied to lesions of one side of the body once daily for up to 16 hours versus diflorasone diacetate ointment applied contralaterally twice daily. Lesions were assessed at baseline, then reevaluated at 2 and 4 weeks. RESULTS: Flurandrenolide tape-treated plaques showed consistently greater clearing in terms of erythema, scaling, induration, and treatment success for all plaques, as well as the subset of knee and elbow plaques, when compared with the lesions receiving diflorasone diacetate ointment. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of flurandrenolide tape in the treatment of psoriatic plaques surpasses that of diflorasone diacetate ointment.