Comparison of the efficacy of calcipotriol and maxacalcitol in combination with narrow‐band ultraviolet B therapy for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris

Background: Combination treatment with topical vitamin D3 and narrow-band ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation is effective against psoriasis vulgaris. We compared the efficacy of the topical vitamin D3 derivatives calcipotriol and maxacalcitol in combination therapy. Materials and methods: In this retrospective observational study, 21 patients admitted to Nagoya City University Hospital between April 2001 and September 2004 were enrolled. Results: Combination treatment with calcipotriol or maxacalcitol and narrow-band UVB was effective against psoriasis vulgaris. Calcipotriol induced a more rapid improvement and required lower levels of narrow-band UVB irradiation to be effective. Serum calcium levels were slightly increased after 4 weeks of treatment, but there was no significant difference between the two groups. No other adverse effects were observed in either of the two groups. Conclusion: The findings of this retrospective observational study indicated that combination treatment with topical vitamin D3 derivatives and narrow-band UVB is effective against psoriasis without any obvious side-effects. These findings provide further evidence that calcipotriol has advantages over maxacalcitol regarding the narrow-band UVB-accumulated treatment dose and improvement rate of psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) scores.