A trial of the Actiderm dermatological patch and topical corticosteroids in the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris. The Actiderm Multi-Center Study Group.

The use of the Actiderm dermatological patch in conjunction with topical corticosteroids was evaluated in a multi-centered, paired-comparison study of 189 patients with chronic psoriasis. In each patient, two lesions of comparable severity were selected for treatment. One plaque was treated with a twice-daily application of a steroid cream (triamcinolone acetonide 0.1 percent, betamethasone valerate 0.1 percent, or halcinonide 0.1 percent) while the second plaque was treated with a forty-eight hour application of the same steroid cream under Actiderm. At follow-up visits during the three-week treatment period and at four weeks post-treatment, the lesions were evaluated for the following parameters: erythema, induration, scale, and fissuring. For each of the three steroid preparations, the Actiderm and steroid therapy produced significant improvement in all parameters compared to the steroid therapy alone. This improvement was sustained through the post-treatment phase (p is less than 0.05 in all groups). No measurable differences in therapeutic efficacy were identified among the three steroid groups. Reports of adverse experiences in the Actiderm and steroid groups were infrequent. We conclude that the Actiderm and steroid combination is a safe and highly effective treatment for psoriasis.