There are few therapies suitable for the treatment of psoriasis on the face and skin folds.
As these areas are sensitive, irritation and other adverse reactions are more common than
elsewhere on the body. The purpose of the study is to compare the efficacy and safety of
once daily treatment for up to 8 weeks of an ointment containing calcipotriol 25 mcg/g plus
hydrocortisone 10 mg/g with tacalcitol 4 mcg/g ointment and the ointment vehicle alone in
patients with psoriasis vulgaris on the face and on the intertriginous ares
Minimum age: 18 Years.
Maximum age: N/A.
Gender(s): Both.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Clinical diagnosis of psoriasis vulgaris involving the face
- Clinical signs of psoriasis vulgaris on the trunk and/or the limbs, or earlier
diagnosed with psoriasis vulgaris on the trunk and/or the limbs
- An extent of psoriatic involvement of the face of at least 10 cm2 (the sum of all
facial lesions)
- Treatment areas (the face and the intertriginous areas) amenable to topical treatment
with a maximum of 10 g of ointment per day
- Disease severity graded as mild, moderate, severe or very severe according to the
investigator's global assessment of disease severity of the face
Exclusion Criteria:
- Systemic treatments with all other therapies than biologicals, with a potential
effect on psoriasis vulgaris (e. g., corticosteroids, vitamin D analogues, retinoids,
immunosuppressants) within the 4-week period prior to randomisation
- Systemic use of biological treatments, whether marketed or not, directed against or
with a potential effect on psoriasis vulgaris (e. g., alefacept, efalizumab,
etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab) within 3 months prior to randomisation
- PUVA therapy or Grenz ray therapy within the 4-week period prior to randomisation
- UVB therapy within the 2-week period prior to randomisation
- Topical treatment of the face and the intertriginous areas within the 2-week period
prior to randomisation (use of emollients is allowed on treatment areas during this
2-week period, but not during the study)
- Topical treatment with very potent WHO group IV corticosteroids within the 2-week
period prior to randomisation
- Initiation of or expected changes in concomitant medication that may affect psoriasis
vulgaris (e. g., beta blockers, anti-malaria drugs, lithium and ACE inhibitors) during
the study
- Systemic treatment with vitamin D preparations above 500 IU per day
- Current diagnosis of erythrodermic, exfoliative, guttate or pustular psoriasis
- Patients with any of the following conditions present on the treatment area: viral
(e. g., herpes or varicella) lesions of the skin, fungal and bacterial skin
infections, parasitic infections, skin manifestations in relation to syphilis or
tuberculosis, rosacea, perioral dermatitis, acne vulgaris, atrophic skin, striae
atrophicae, fragility of skin veins, ichthyosis, acne rosacea, ulcers and wounds
- Other inflammatory skin diseases (e. g., seborrhoeic dermatitis, contact dermatitis
and cutaneous mycosis) that may confound the evaluation of psoriasis vulgaris on the
face or on the intertriginous areas
- Planned exposure to sun, UVA or UVB that may affect the psoriasis vulgaris during the
study
- Known or suspected severe renal insufficiency or severe hepatic disorders
- Known or suspected disorders of calcium metabolism associated with hypercalcemia