Clinical studies of a new vehicle formulation for topical corticosteroids in the treatment of psoriasis

Topical corticosteroids have been the mainstay of topical anti-inflammatory therapy of psoriasis and are available in different treatment strengths or doses and various formulations or vehicles. Traditional formulations have included ointments, creams, and lotions. More recently, the mid-potency corticosteroid betamethasone valerate (BMV) and the ultra-high-potency corticosteroid clobetasol propionate (CP) have become available in a novel, thermolabile, low-residue foam vehicle for topical application. This review examines recent clinical studies on efficacy and safety of these two new formulations, BMV 0.12% foam (Luxiq; Connetics Corp, Palo Alto, Calif) and CP 0.05% foam (OLUX, Connetics Corp), as treatments for scalp and nonscalp psoriasis. The studies demonstrated that BMV foam and CP foam are safe and effective treatments for psoriasis affecting scalp and nonscalp regions of the body. BMV foam and CP foam were absorbed more rapidly and demonstrated greater total absorption than their respective comparison formulations, namely BMV lotion and CP solution. The foam vehicle also appears to be associated with better compliance and improvements in quality of life. The unique nature of the foam vehicle, together with the positive findings of in vitro studies suggest these new foam formulations may expand the options currently available for combination therapy.