• Leon H Kircik.
• Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, NY and bIndiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA. wedoderm@bellsouth.net
• J Drugs Dermatol. 2011 Aug 1; 10 (8): 878-82.

UnlabelledEtanercept is approved for the treatment of plaque psoriasis at a subcutaneous (SC) dosage of 50 mg twice-weekly for three months, followed by 50 mg SC once-weekly thereafter. It is of note, however, that many patients experience loss of efficacy when they step down to etanercept 50 mg/week, often instigating a switch to another biological. The current pilot study investigated the adjunctive use of a topical calcipotriene 0.005% and betamethasone dipropionate 0.064% combination ointment, approved for the treatment of psoriasis, to sustain the original efficacy of etanercept by augmenting response to the 50 mg/week SC dose, thus stabilizing the disease.Trial DesignIn this single-center, open-label study, subjects (n=20) underwent 12 weeks treatment with etanercept 100 mg/week (50 mg, 2x week; weeks -12 to -1), followed by etanercept 50 mg/week maintenance therapy for 40 weeks (weeks 0 to 40). Subjects were followed at four-week intervals. Starting at week 4, subjects who demonstrated an increase from baseline (week 0) body surface area (BSA) of is greater than 2% initiated therapy with calcipotriene 0.005% and betamethasone dipropionate 0.064% ointment for four weeks. The study is limited by its small sample size, open-label nature, and lack of blinding.FindingsMean BSA involvement decreased significantly from week -12 to 0 with etanercept 50 mg twice a week. At week 4, on the etanercept 50 mg/week dose, mean BSA increased to 9.42 ± 9.39 compared to week 0. With introduction of calcipotriene 0.005%/betamethasone dipropionate 0.064% ointment at week 4, mean BSA decreased to 4.62 ± 8.19 by week 24 and was relatively stable for the remainder of the study period. Similarly, mean PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index) scores improved from week -12 to week 0, increased at week 4, then decreased significantly by week 24 with adjunctive topical treatment.ConclusionTopical calcipotriene 0.005% and betamethasone dipropionate 0.064% ointment is a safe and effective adjunct to etanercept 50 mg/week maintenance therapy.

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