Comparative study of calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate ointment and 0.05% tazarotene gel in the treatment of stable plaque psoriasis

Objective To observe the efficacy and safety of calcipotriol/ betamethasone dipropionate ointment and 0.05% tazarotene gel in the treatment of plaque-type psoriasis.Methods Thirty-two patients with plaque-type psoriasis were enrolled in clinical trial.All patients were treated with calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate ointment and 0.05% tazarotene gel respectively in symmetrical lesions.Evaluation was done at baseline(0 week),1 week,2 weeks and 4 weeks of treatment.Results After 1-week and 2-week treatment,the plaque improvement by using topical calcipotriol betamethasone dipropionate ointment was more than that by using 0.05% tazarotene gel(P0.05).At the end of 4 weeks,improvement by using topical calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate ointment was comparable to that by using 0.05% tazarotene gel(P0.05).75 percent decrease in PASI was observed in 23(71.86%)patients receiving combination therapy and 22(68.75%)patients receiving monotherapy with no difference between the two groups(P0.05).Conclusions Calcipotriol/betamethasone dipropionate ointment and 0.05% tazarotene gel are safe and effective in therapy for plaque type psoriasis.Combined ointment may be more effective in early stage of treatment.