Psoriasis and Atopic Dermatitis “Resistant” to Topical Treatment Responds Rapidly to Topical Desoximetasone Spray:

Purpose:Topical corticosteroids (TS) are a treatment for atopic dermatitis (AD) and psoriasis (Ps). We assessed whether use of a TS under conditions designed to enhance adherence would be effective in patients who “failed” TS in the outpatient setting.Methods:Individuals with treatment-resistant Ps or AD were recruited (AD, n = 12; Ps, n = 12). Six participants were randomized to each of 2 groups of desoximetasone 0.25% spray alone (n = 6) or desoximetasone spray plus twice-daily phone call reminders to use the medication. Disease severity was assessed.Results:In treatment-resistant Ps patients, desoximetasone spray, with reminders, resulted in statistically significant improvement in all outcome measures. In treatment-resistant AD patients, there was statistically significant improvement in some assessments.Despite the very small sample size and short evaluation time, statistically significant changes were detected in this cohort. This is evidence of the large effect size of TS for Ps and AD when the tre...