Low concentration halcinonide cream in the topical management of atopic dermatitis in pediatric patients.

Seventy-nine patients with atopic dermatitis were treated in a double-blind paired comparison fashion with halcinonide cream (0.025%) or its placebo control. The overall therapeutic response was excellent in thirty-seven (47%) patients treated with halcinonide cream (0.25%) as compared with twenty-two (28%) patients treated with the placebo cream. In the comparative response, halcinonide was considered superior in forty-six (58%) patients, and the placebo was considered superior in fifteen (19%). Statistically, halcinonide cream was shown to be significantly superior to the placebo cream (p less than 0.001). Side effects noted in five patients included burning, stinging, and pain, due in most cases to both halcinonide and the placebo cream.