A critical review of halobetasol propionate foam (0.05%) as a treatment option for adolescent plaque psoriasis

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Halobetasol propionate foam has been established as an efficacious and easy-to-use topical treatment for adults with plaque psoriasis. Its recent approval in the United States expanded its use for adolescents from ages 12 to 17 years old.

Areas covered

We briefly summarize the chemistry of halobetasol and review clinical trials involving halobetasol propionate 0.05% foam to evaluate its efficacy and safety profile with a specific focus on adolescents with plaque psoriasis.

Expert opinion

Halobetasol propionate 0.05% foam is an effective and cosmetically elegant superpotent topical corticosteroid, with a tolerable safety profile in adolescents. The use of this foam offers another option to address patient-specific needs and preferences, adding to the toolbox of currently available treatments for adolescent psoriasis.

KEYWORDS:

• Topical medication
• pediatric
• corticosteroid
• inflammatory skin disease
• vehicle

Article highlights

• Halobetasol propionate 0.05% foam has shown a good safety profile for adolescents aged 12–17 years, with no patients in the clinical trial showing signs or symptoms of adrenal suppression. The average dosage of halobetasol foam used in this clinical trial was 6.1 ± 1.76 g/day, for a total of 85.3 ± 24.44 g used over the 14 day treatment period.

• Six of the 23 adolescent patients in the pivotal clinical trial showed non-clinical, laboratory based, hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis suppression at the end of a 14 day treatment period, but all patients saw resolution of serum abnormalities after 4 weeks of stopping use of the halobetasol propionate 0.05% foam.

• Foam formulations offer a cosmetically appealing and easily applied vehicle that may help improve patient adherence to topical treatments.

Declaration of Interest

W.Liao has received research grant funding from AbbVie, Amgen, Janssen, Leo, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, and TRex Bio.

T. Bhutani is a principal investigator for trials sponsored by AbbVie, Castle, CorEvitas, Dermavant, Galderma, Mindera, and Pfizer. She has also received research grant funding from Novartis and Regeneron. She has also been an advisor for AbbVie, Arcutis, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Janssen, Leo, Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun, and UCB.

The authors have 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.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Company review

Mayne Pharma provided a scientific accuracy review at the request of the journal editor.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.