[Clinical studies with prednicarbate with special reference to double-blind comparisons with common therapeutic preparations].

We report on the clinical efficacy of the local corticoid prednicarbate (chemical name: prednisolone-17-ethyl carbonate-21-propionate). In a concentration of 0.25%, it can be assigned to corticoid force class III. We think it's remarkable that even extensive application of 20 g daily in patients with affected skin and 30 g daily in healthy persons does not cause any suppression of plasma cortisol. Extreme long-term application (12 months) in 4 test persons did not result in any clinical, histological, or electron microscopical signs of topical atrophy; only one case showed slight hypertrichosis. These studies show that we may regard the original opinion as disproved that efficacy and side effects of corticoids are always inseparably linked together. To our minds, this preparation constitutes an essential step towards solving the problem of long-term application of a topical corticoid wherever it may be necessary from the dermatologic point of view, e.g. especially in atopic dermatitis and psoriasis.