Abstract
Calcipotriene ointment, a synthetic structural analogue of 1,25-dihidroxycholecalciferol, has recently been approved for the treatment of moderate plaque psoriasis by the Food and Drug Administration. Ten years ago, 1,25-dihidroxycholecalciferol was noted to inhibit the proliferation of psoriatic fibroblasts in culture.<sup>1</sup>This finding, along with the fact that a patient being treated with 1α-hydroxyvitamin D<sub>3</sub>for osteoporosis noted marked improvement in her psoriasis, stimulated investigators to assess the effect of a variety of analogues of vitamin D on psoriasis. Calcipotriene (calcipotriol) is recognized with equal affinity by the 1,25-dihidroxycholecalciferol receptor but has 100 times less effect on calcium metabolism than does vitamin D.<sup>2</sup>The drug is believed to exert its therapeutic effect through inhibition of keratinocyte proliferation and increasing terminal differentiation of keratinocytes. Placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blind trials have demonstrated the effectiveness (80% of patients treated for 6 months demonstrate at least moderate improvement), rapid activity, and safety of
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