The safety and efficacy of tazarotene gel, a topical acetylenic retinoid, in the treatment of psoriasis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the safety and efficacy of topically applied tazarotene gel in the treatment of mild to moderate psoriatic plaques.

DESIGN: Two multicenter, double-blind, randomized studies of 6- and 8-week duration, with an 8-week follow-up in the second study.

SETTING: Medical center outpatient dermatology services.

PARTICIPANTS: One hundred fifty-three adults with 2 bilateral target plaques on the trunk, legs, or arms.

INTERVENTIONS: Vehicle gel or 0.01% and 0.05% tazarotene gel administered twice daily to 45 patients (study A), or 0.05% and 0.1% tazarotene gel administered either once or twice daily to 108 patients (study B).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Treatment success and plaque elevation, scaling, and erythema vs time.

RESULTS: The 0.01% tazarotene gel showed minimal efficacy. Applications of 0.05% and 0.1% tazarotene gels administered once or twice daily, resulted in significant improvements in plaque elevation, scaling, erythema, and overall clinical severity as early as 1 week. Treatment success rates (defined as > 75% improvement from baseline) were 45% with 0.05% tazarotene gel vs 13% with vehicle gel after 6 weeks of treatment (P < .05; study A) and ranged from 48% to 63% with the various tazarotene treatment regimens after 8 weeks of treatment (study B). These improvements were evident at the 8-week follow-up. Treatment-related adverse effects were generally limited to mild or moderate local irritation and were less frequent with the treatment regimen administered once daily.

CONCLUSION: The 0.05% and 0.1% tazarotene gels demonstrated significant efficacy in the treatment of mild to moderate psoriatic plaques that persisted after cessation of treatment.