Intermittent dosing of fluticasone propionate cream for reducing the risk of relapse in atopic dermatitis patients

BACKGROUND: One of the most troublesome features of atopic dermatitis (AD) is its chronic relapsing nature, and there is a lack of published evidence on the best treatment strategy for long-term management of the disease. OBJECTIVE: To compare an intermittent dosing regimen of fluticasone propionate (FP) cream 0.05% (twice per week) with its vehicle base in reducing the risk of relapse when added to regular daily emollient in adult and paediatric subjects with stabilized AD. METHODS: Subjects (aged 3 months to 65 years) with moderate or severe AD were enrolled into an open-label Stabilization Phase of up to 4 weeks on daily emollients plus FP twice daily. Those subjects who achieved 'treatment success' (Global Assessment Score