Tapinarof: A Felicitous Discovery in Psoriasis Treatment

Tapinarof is a novel topical formulation approved recently, in May 2022, by the United States Food and Drug Administration to treat plaque psoriasis. Existing topical therapies for psoriasis are limited by systemic and local adverse effects, medication cost and repeated administration, thus significantly hampering the compliance of patients to therapy. These limitations can be resolved by tapinarof owing to its better efficacy and favourable safety profile in psoriasis management. Tapinarof was developed with a unique mechanism targeting the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) involved in inflammation and modulation of skin barrier integrity in inflammatory dermatological disorders such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. The efficacy and safety outcomes of tapinarof in psoriasis were justified through the two pivotal clinical trials, namely, PSOARING 1 and PSOARING 2. The common adverse effects observed with tapinarof are folliculitis, contact dermatitis and headache. The literature search was conducted for efficacy and safety of tapinarof in the electronic databases of PubMed and Cochrane using a combination of keywords such as tapinarof, psoriasis and AhR. This review will delineate the molecular mechanisms underlying the action of tapinarof and also summarise the trial data supporting the claim that tapinarof is replacing the existing standard of care in psoriasis management.

Clinical pharmacology review for primary health care providers: II. Steroids

Primary health care providers play a critical role in maintaining public health, and the appropriate prescription of pharmaceutical products is a major component of their practice. This series of articles entitled 'Clinical Pharmacology Review for Primary Health Care Providers' is intended to help primary health care providers select more appropriate prescriptions for frequently used drugs based on up-to-date information. We expect that this effort will contribute to improvements in public health and diminish unnecessary drug use.

Efficacy of a topical agent SS-cream in the treatment of premature ejaculation: preliminary clinical studies

SS-cream is a topical agent for treating premature ejaculation (PE) which is made with extracts from 9 natural products. We evaluated the efficacy of SS-cream in the treatment of PE. An open pilot study was performed in 186 patients with PE. The mean ejaculatory latency from intromission to ejaculation was 1.5 minutes. Sixty-four of the 186 patients (34.4%) were combined with mild erectile dysfunction in whom penile rigidity was not sufficient to be satisfied in sexual activity. Patients were instructed to apply 0.1 gm. of SS-cream on the glans penis 1 hour before sexual contact and to wash out the cream before sexual intromission. Patients were asked to complete a report form including ejaculatory latency, the degree of satisfaction in the sexual lives of both themselves and their partners, and any adverse effects after each application. One hundred and sixty-six out of 186 patients (89.2%) reported they were satisfied with the application of the SS-cream and the mean ejaculatory latency was significantly prolonged to 10.89 +/- 5.60 minutes. The mean ejaculatory latency was 9.85 +/- 3.58 minutes in 52 out of 64 patients (81.2%) with mild erectile dysfunction. There was no significant difference in the changes of ejaculatory latencies between patients with pure PE and patients with mild erectile dysfunction. Twenty patients (10.8%) claimed to have no changes of ejaculatory latencies after the application of SS-cream. Adverse effects were noted in 11 patients (5.9%), which were mild local irritation symptoms in 7 patients, and delayed ejaculation of more than 30 minutes in 4 patients, the symptoms subsided spontaneously within 4 hours. These results indicate SS-cream is effective in the treatment of PE and also PE combined with mild erectile dysfunction with a few side effects. Further studies on the action mechanisms of SS-cream and a double blind placebo-controlled trial are needed.