Patients with psoriasis respond well to CAL/BDP cream, regardless of Fitzpatrick skin type

Key takeaways:

• 37.4% of patients with Fitzpatrick skin types IV to VI and 38.7% of the total population achieved PGA success.
• Calcipotriene/betamethasone dipropionate cream outperformed the topical solution in all categories.

Patients with Fitzpatrick skin types IV to VI with plaque psoriasis that were treated with calcipotriene/betamethasone dipropionate 0.005%/0.065% cream achieved similar rates of success as the rest of the population, according to a study.

In July 2021, the FDA approved calcipotriene/betamethasone dipropionate (CAL/BDP) 0.005%/0.065% cream to treat adults with plaque psoriasis.

While studies have shown that CAL/BDP cream is effective in the general psoriasis population, “the efficacy and safety of this medication for psoriasis in patients with skin of color has not been well characterized,” Christina L. Kontzias, BA, of the center for dermatology research at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote.

In a post hoc analysis of a phase 3 clinical trial, Kontzias and her colleagues assessed the efficacy, safety and convenience of CAL/BDP cream vs. CAL/BDP topical solution and vehicle cream in people with Fitzpatrick skin types IV to VI.

The study included 784 participants. This total included 280 (35.7%) participants who had Fitzpatrick skin types IV to VI, as well as 64 individuals who self-identified as Black or African American.

After 8 weeks of treatment, the CAL/BDP cream had greater success than the CAL/BDP topical solution in PGA, modified PASI and psoriasis treatment convenience scale scores in all participants.

Patients with Fitzpatrick skin types IV to VI saw similar PGA success rates to that of the total study population (37.4% vs. 38.7%, respectively). They also saw the same success rates as the total study population in modified PASI reduction (62.9% vs. 61.8%).

Both groups also had nearly identical convenience scale scores. Patients with Fitzpatrick skin types IV to VI scored CAL/BDP cream and CAL/BDP topical solution as 41.8 and 36.9, respectively. The total population cohort scored CAL/BDP cream as 41.5 and CAL/BDP topical solution as 37.5.

Rates of adverse events were similar between patient groups and treatment groups. In the CAL/BDP cream group, the most common adverse events were upper respiratory tract infections at 7%, headaches at 2% and application site pain at 1%.

“In a subgroup analysis of patients with skin of color, CAL/BDP cream was more effective than the topical solution, mirroring the results in the total study population,” the authors concluded.