Intermittent application of clobetasol-17-propionate in psoriasis

A double-blind study was carried out in 12 hospitalized patients with symmetrical eruptions of psoriasis to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment with 0.05% clobetasol propionate ointment, applied once daily, to one side for 2 weeks compared with 1 week of active treatment and 1 week of vehicle alone to the other side. The results of clinical assessments of scaling, redness, and induration before and after each week of treatment showed only a very slight difference in favour of 2-weeks' continuous treatment when analyzed using a one-tailed Student's t-test (p = 0.047) but not when two-tailed testing was used (p = 0.094). Although it would appear that there was no clear preference for continuous therapy, other studies involving larger numbers of patients are needed to determine whether intermittent therapy with a potent corticosteroid such as clobetasol propionate is equally as effective in psoriasis.