Clobetasol Cream

Clobetasol propionate cream USP, 0.05% (emollient) is a super-high potency corticosteroid indicated for:

Corticosteroid-Responsive Dermatoses

Clobetasol propionate cream USP, 0.05% (emollient) is indicated for the relief of the inflammatory and pruritic manifestations of cortico-steroid-responsive dermatoses in patients 12 years of age and older. Treatment should be limited to 2 consecutive weeks, and the total dosage should not exceed 50 grams per week.

Moderate to Severe Plaque-Type Psoriasis

Clobetasol propionate cream USP, 0.05% (emollient) is indicated for the topical treatment of moderate to severe plaque-type psoriasis. Treatment beyond 4 consecutive weeks is not recommended. Use in pediatric patients under 16 years of age is not recommended.

Limitations of Use

Clobetasol propionate cream USP, 0.05% (emollient) should not be used in the treatment of rosacea or perioral dermatitis, and should not be used on the face, groin, or axillae.

The total dosage should not exceed 50 grams per week.

Avoid use if skin atrophy is present at the treatment site.

Cream, 0.05%. Each gram of Clobetasol propionate cream USP, 0.05% (emollient) contains 0.5 mg of clobetasol propionate in a white to off-white cream base.

Clinical Trials Experience

Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in clinical practice.

In controlled trials with clobetasol propionate formulations, the following adverse reactions have been reported: burning/stinging, pruritis, irritation, erythema, folliculitis, cracking and fissuring of the skin, numbness of the fingers, tenderness in the elbow, skin atrophy, and telangiectasia. The incidence of local adverse reactions reported in the trials with Clobetasol propionate cream, 0.05% (emollient) was less than 2% of patients treated with the exception of burning/stinging which occurred in 5% of treated patients.

Clobetasol propionate cream USP, 0.05% (emollient) contains the active compound clobetasol propionate, a synthetic corticosteroid, for topical use. Clobetasol, an analog of prednisolone, has a high degree of glucocorticoid activity and a slight degree of mineralocorticoid activity.

Chemically, clobetasol propionate is (11β,16β)-21-chloro-9-fluoro-11-hydroxy-16-methyl-17-(1-oxopropoxy)-pregna-1,4-diene-3,20-dione, and it has the following structural formula:

Clobetasol propionate has the molecular formula C25H32ClFO5 and a molecular weight of 467. It is a white to cream-colored crystalline powder insoluble in water.

Each gram of Clobetasol propionate cream USP, 0.05% (emollient) contains 0.5 mg of clobetasol propionate in a white to off-white cream base consisting of cetostearyl alcohol, isopropyl myristate, propylene glycol, cetomacrogol 1000, dimethicone 350, citric acid, sodium citrate, purified water, and imidurea as a preservative.

Mechanism of Action

Like other topical corticosteroids, clobetasol propionate has anti-inflammatory, antipruritic, and vasoconstrictive properties. The mechanism of the anti-inflammatory activity of the topical steroids, in general, is unclear. However, corticosteroids are thought to act by the induction of phospholipase A2 inhibitory proteins, collectively called lipocortins. It is postulated that these proteins control the biosynthesis of potent mediators of inflammation such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes by inhibiting the release of their common precursor, arachidonic acid. Arachidonic acid is released from membrane phospholipids by phospholipase A2.

Pharmacodynamics

Clobetasol propionate cream, 0.05% (emollient) is in the super-high range of potency as demonstrated in a vasoconstrictor study in healthy subjects when compared with other topical corticosteroids. However, similar blanching scores do not necessarily imply therapeutic equivalence.

Pharmacokinetics

The extent of percutaneous absorption of topical corticosteroids is determined by many factors, including the vehicle and the integrity of the epidermal barrier. Topical corticosteroids can be absorbed from normal intact skin. Inflammation and/or other disease processes in the skin may increase percutaneous absorption.

Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility

Carcinogenesis
Long-term animal studies have not been performed to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of clobetasol propionate.

Mutagenesis
Clobetasol propionate was nonmutagenic in three different test systems: the Ames test, the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene conversion assay, and the E. Coli B WP2 fluctuation test.

Impairment of Fertility
Studies in the rat following oral administration at dosage levels up to 50 mg/kg per day revealed no significant effect on the males. The females exhibited an increase in the number of resorbed embryos and a decrease in the number of living fetuses at the highest dose.