Abstract

Calcipotriol (calcipotriene) is a vitamin D3 analogue which inhibits epidermal cell proliferation and enhances cell differentiation. In patients with chronic plaque psoriasis involved in short term studies of 6 to 8 weeks' duration, calcipotriol ointment applied twice daily was significantly more effective than betamethasone valerate and dithranol (anthralin). Pooled data from clinical trials show that calcipotriol is well tolerated, with the majority of adverse events being mild and transient local reactions. Topically applied calcipotriol has low hypercalcaemic potential and, in contrast to topical corticosteroids, oral retinoids and orally administered calcitriol, methotrexate and cyclosporin, calcipotriol does not appear to be associated with a risk of serious adverse events. Thus, at this early stage in its clinical development, calcipotriol appears to be an effective and well tolerated topical therapy for the management of psoriasis; if promising preliminary clinical findings are confirmed, calcipotriol will represent a major advance in this difficult area of therapeutics.