Dovonex Ointment Ref.[2602] Active ingredients: Calcipotriol

Data from a single study containing 5 evaluable patients with psoriasis treated with 0.3‑1.7 g of a 50 micrograms/g tritium labelled calcipotriol ointment suggested that less than 1% of the dose was absorbed.

However, total recovery of the tritium label over a 96 hour period ranged from 6.7 to only 32.6%, figures maximised by uncorrected chemiluminescence. There were no data on 3H tissue distribution or excretion from the lungs.

The effect on calcium metabolism is approximately 100 times less than that of the hormonally active form of vitamin D3.

Calcipotriol has shown maternal and foetal toxicity in rats and rabbits when given by the oral route at doses of 54 µg/kg/day and 12 µg/kg/day, respectively. The foetal abnormalities observed with concomitant maternal toxicity included signs indicative of skeletal immaturity (incomplete ossification of the pubic bones and forelimb phalanges, and enlarged fontanelles) and an increased incidence of supernumerary ribs.

There is insufficient pharmacokinetic data available to quantify the safety margin for the embryofoetal effects.

A dermal carcinogenicity study in mice revealed no special hazard to humans.

In a study where albino hairless mice were repeatedly exposed to both ultraviolet (UV) radiation and dermally administered calcipotriol for 40 weeks at dose levels corresponding to 9, 30 and 90 µg/m²/day (equivalent to 0.25, 0.84, 2.5 times the maximum recommended daily dose for a 60 kg adult, respectively), a reduction in the time required for UV radiation to induce the formation of skin tumours was observed (statistically significant in males only), suggesting that calcipotriol may enhance the effect of UV radiation to induce skin tumours. The clinical relevance of these findings is unknown.