Clinical investigation of halopredone acetate, a new topical steroid, in dermatology. Controlled study.

17,21-Bis(acetyloxy)-2-bromo-6beta,9-difluoro-11beta-hydroxypregna-1,4-diene-3,20-dione (halopredone acetate; Topicon) cream, a new synthetic corticosteroid for topical use, has been evaluated against betamethasone valerate by means of double-blind sequential study, where the patients, mainly affected with psoriasis, presented symmetrically located lesions which were treated with either the new drug or the reference cream so that each patient could serve as his own control. Activity and tolerability of the two preparations were equivalent. This equivalence is particularly significant when bearing in mind that the concentration of the active principle (0.01%) contained in the halopredone acetate cream is one of the lowest employed so far and 10 times lower than that of the reference steroid (betamethasone valerate 0.1%). A second open trial, made in 30 patients suffering from psoriasis, confirmed the positive anti-inflammatory properties which the new substance had already displayed during the previous pharmacological tests.