Abstract
In 50–80% of patients with plaque psoriasis, the scalp is involved. The scalp may also be the only part of the body affected by plaque psoriasis. Topical steroids and calcipotriene are the mainstay of treatment for scalp psoriasis. They are used as monotherapy or in combination in a morning/evening regimen owing to drug incompatibility. Recently, the US FDA approved a once-daily, stable combination gel containing calcipotriene and betamethasone dipropionate (Taclonex Scalp®). This product has been marketed in other countries under the name Xamiol®. It is convenient, with a faster speed of onset and greater efficacy than its individual active ingredients and also when compared with twice-daily calcipotriene scalp solution. After 2 weeks of therapy, approximately 60% of patients have absent or very mild disease; this number increases to approximately 70% after 8 weeks of therapy. The product is well tolerated with a short-term safety profile similar to betamethasone dipropionate. In clinical trials, approximately 50% fewer cutaneous adverse events were seen compared with calcipotriene. Two 52-week long-term studies showed that this drug can be safely used as needed; adverse effects attributable to steroids were infrequent and similar to the rate in the calcipotriene arm (2.6 vs 3.0%). There were no cases of atrophy or striae.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
Lyn Guenther has acted as a consultant, speaker and clinical trial researcher for LEO Pharma Inc. The author has no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.