Triamcinolone Acetonide — A Highly Effective New Topical Steroid

Abstract

Triamcinolone acetonide, recently synthesized by Fried et al.,¹ has an anti-inflammatory effect 40 times as great in animals as cortisone or hydrocortisone. It is the purpose of this report to give the results of a preliminary evaluation of this highly active steroid as a topically applied therapeutic agent. Materials and Methods Triamcinolone acetonide^* was supplied initially as a 0.05% and 0.1% lotion. These two creams were compared in a double-blind study with 0.1% fludrocortisone(fluorohydrocortisone) cream. The preliminary evaluation revealed the triamcinolone acetonide to possess such a highdegree of effectiveness that a second double-blindsymmetrical paired comparison study3'3 was performed. Hydroeortisone in 1% concentration was supplied in lotion,cream, and ointment forms and compared with 0.1% triamcinolone acetonide in the same bases. Neither the investigator nor the patient knew the identity of the preparations, one of which was applied to lesions on one side of the body and the other, to contralateral similarly involved sites.