The researchers defined treatment success at 4 weeks as a two-point improvement to “clear” or “almost clear” on the Investigator Global Assessment of psoriasis. Of the adult participants with chronic plaque psoriasis randomized to the combination foam product, 54% of the white patients; 30% of black patients; 69% of Asian patients; and one of the two Hawaiian/Pacific Islander patients achieved treatment success after 4 weeks of topical treatment.
“All subgroups analyzed had a good response to treatment at 4 weeks. Numerically it appears African Americans in particular did not do quite as well, but we can’t [definitively] draw that conclusion,” Dr. Kaufman said in an interview.
More data, please
The study is just the first step in investigating the efficacy of this particular product in diverse ethnic groups, Dr. Kaufman added. “That really emphasizes the importance of studying these medications in skin of color populations in particular.”
More guidance on psoriasis in skin of color patients is available in a published review article by Dr. Kaufman and Andrew F. Alexis, MD, director of the Skin of Color Center at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai West, New York (Am J Clin Dermatol. 2017 Dec 5. doi: 10.1007/s40257-017-0332-7).
Enstilar manufacturer LEO Pharma supplied the clinical data but did not fund the study. Dr. Kaufman had no relevant financial disclosures.