Adjunctive Cal/BD foam treatment safe, effective option for difficult-to-treat psoriasis
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Plaque psoriasis patients who had residual plaques following ixekizumab saw success with adjunctive calcipotriene 0.005%/betamethasone dipropionate 0.064% foam, according to a study.
“Pivotal clinical trials have shown ixekizumab to be highly efficacious for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, with nearly 40% of patients showing complete resolution of psoriatic plaques (ie, 100% improvement in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) after 12 weeks of treatment. However, a considerable proportion of patients (60%-65%) continue to have residual plaques after 12 weeks of treatment,” Jerry Bagel, MD, MS, and Elise Nelson, LPN, CCRC, of the Psoriasis Treatment Center of New Jersey, wrote.
This prospective, open-label, single-arm study evaluated patients at a single center who had 3% to 8% residual body surface area (BSA) involvement following ixekizumab treatment for 24 weeks or longer.
The 25 enrolled patients remained on ixekizumab but were also instructed to apply a foam formulation of calcipotriene 0.005% and betamethasone dipropionate 0.064% (Cal/BD) daily for 4 weeks. Following this initial phase, patients were instructed to use the Cal/BD foam every other day through week 12.
After the 4-week initial treatment phase, 56% of patients achieved the treatment goal of 1% BSA or less and 56% achieved Physician Global Assessment (PGA) scores of 1 or less.
The mean BSA decreased by 55%, while the mean PGA score decreased by 49%.
After 12 weeks, 64% achieved the treat-to-target goal. In addition, Dermatology Life Quality Index scores decreased by 2.3 points.
“In this observational, real-world study of patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, the addition of Cal/BD foam was associated with notable improvements in disease outcomes in patients who had suboptimal response after treatment with ixekizumab for [at least] 24 weeks,” the authors wrote. “Among patients with a suboptimal response to biologic therapy, adjunctive treatment with Cal/BD foam offers patients with difficult to treat psoriasis a safe and versatile treatment option, which may improve disease control and long-term management of psoriasis.”