Clinical Evaluation by a Double Blind Controlled Study with Desoximetasone, a Topical Corticosteroid

Abstract

A double blind controlled study was conducted to compare the efficacy of 0.25% desoximetasone and 0.05% desoximetasone. 72 patients with the same skin lesion (acute eczema-like dermatitis or atopic dermatitis) on both sides of the body were selected for the study. One preparation was randomly chosen to be applied to the right side and the other was then applied to the left side two or three times a day. No occlusion was used. The data collected according to the degree of general improvement in each patient's skin condition, the posttreatment severity of his symptoms and the degree of utility was analyzed by the analysis of variance method. Data concerning relative effectiveness and relative utility was analyzed by Scheffe's paired comparison method.For patients with acute eczema-like dermatitis, 0.25% desoximetasone proved to be statistically superior to 0.05% desoximetasone in such evaluation items as relative effectiveness, relative utility and posttreatment papule severity. With atopic dermatitis patients, no significant difference between the two concentrations was noted in any of the evaluation items.Neither of the two concentrations produced any side effects. Both preparations proved to have an excellent therapeutic effect. 0.25% desoximetasone is considered to be more useful than the 0.05% concentration, however, particularly when the two preparations are used against the early stages of eczematous dermatitis.