Study: Psorent improves, controls symptoms of plaque psoriasis

SAN FRANCISCO A nonprescription topical solution made with a new formulation of liquor carbonis distillate known as Psorent is significantly more effective than prescription-strength calcipotriol cream in improving and controlling the symptoms of plaque psoriasis, according to research findings presented at the American Academy of Dermatology's 2009 Annual Meeting NeoStrata, which markets Psorent, announced Tuesday.

"We knew, based on the preliminary study results we presented at the summer AAD, that in the treatment phase of this study, twice-daily LCD outperformed calcipotriol cream for control of psoriasis symptoms," stated Alexa Kimball, a CURTIS researcher who was also a study investigator and author.  "But we were encouraged by the fact that the improvements also persisted longer after patients stopped their twice-daily treatments for six weeks."

The team's conclusions are based on data from 55 patients who received treatment for up to 12 weeks and 43 patients who returned for re-assessment 6 weeks after treatment stopped.

"Because no single treatment is right for everyone, dermatologists are always looking for new ways to improve outcomes for their psoriasis patients," stated Mark Lebwohl, chairman of the Department of Dermatology at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.  "The results of this trial suggest that LCD may be an appropriate treatment choice for psoriasis patients with mild or moderate disease."