Vitamin D and UVB radiation therapy

Several studies have examined the combination of calcipotriene and UVB radiation in the treatment of psoriasis. Most show greater clearing with the combination than with monotherapy with either treatment. Data from one study found that calcipotriene had a UVB-sparing effect when combined with broadband UVB phototherapy, resulting in fewer UVB exposures and a lower cumulative dose. This finding suggests that patients treated with calcipotriene may be able to achieve lesion clearing with less frequent UVB radiation treatments than those not treated with calcipotriene. The combination of calcipotriene and UVB radiation does not alter the tolerability or safety of therapy. Calcipotriene may be applied at any time up to 2 hours before or immediately after UVB radiation.