A randomized trial on the D-homosteroid domoprednate (Ro 12-7024) in the treatment of dermatoses.

39 patients with bilateral dermatoses, mainly psoriasis vulgaris and atopic dermatitis, were treated with 0.1% Ro 12-7024 ointment and 0.1% betamethasone valerate ointment according to a double-blind, right-left, randomized design. Treatment lasted up to 4 weeks. 5 patients did not complete the trial. Assessment of efficacy, expressed as degree of healing in percent of treated skin area and according to an overall assessment of efficacy made by both physician and patient only revealed marginal, mostly statistically insignificant differences, with a trend in favor of betamethasone. Patients' preferences for one of the two treatments favored betamethasone valerate in 17 cases and Ro 12-7024 in 5 cases; 13 cases were ties (p less than 0.001). With the exception of one case of bilateral erythema and itching no side effects were reported. The efficacy of the D-homosteroid Ro 12-7024 is evidently of the same order as that of the group III steroid betamethasone valerate, and the tolerance of the two ointments is good and equal.