NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Studies involving more than 1,100 patients have demonstrated the safety profile of oral tazarotene, a highly-selective retinoid, for the treatment of psoriasis. New data presented today at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) annual meeting in Washington, D.C., show that the high selectivity of oral tazarotene to skin receptors involved in such disorders as psoriasis defines oral tazarotene's favorable safety profile.
Unlike other retinoids, oral tazarotene's high selectivity potentially minimizes many of the unwanted side effects commonly associated with systemic retinoid therapy for psoriasis.
"Studies show that the safety profile of oral tazarotene is different from other oral retinoids and in fact, overall side effects were mild in severity," said Alice Gottlieb, M.D., Ph.D., UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, N.J. "In addition, a majority of patients achieved clinically meaningful improvement by week 12 of treatment with oral tazarotene; therefore, this may offer a new, once-daily systemic therapy option to people with moderate to severe psoriasis."
Common side effects reported in the trials included dry lips (cheilitis), dry skin, headache, muscle ache (myalgia), joint pain (anthralgia), infection, back pain and itch (pruritus).
In common with other systemic retinoids, oral tazarotene is potentially teratogenic and women of childbearing potential are required to use reliable contraception. However, unlike other systemic retinoids, the active metabolite of tazarotene (tazarotenic acid) is cleared from the body rapidly, and has an elimination half-life of only seven to 12 hours. This data suggests female patients who wish to attempt a pregnancy may be able to do so within months after their last dose of oral tazarotene capsules.
"Unlike other systemic psoriasis treatments, oral tazarotene was not associated with a higher incidence of hair loss, elevated triglyceride levels, depression, or changes in liver and kidney function," Dr. Gottlieb said.
In this study, the 4.5 mg dose of oral tazarotene was administered as a single gel capsule once daily. Oral tazarotene is not affected by body weight, food intake or alcohol consumption. There are no known drug-drug interactions with oral tazarotene.
The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey comprises the state's only three medical schools, its only dental school, a graduate school of biomedical sciences, school of health related professions, school of nursing and a school of public health on campuses in Newark, Piscataway/New Brunswick, Scotch Plains, Camden and Stratford. UMDNJ also operates UMDNJ-University Hospital in Newark and University Behavioral HealthCare. It is affiliated with more than 200 health care and educational institutions throughout the state.
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