Treatment of Oral Erosive Lichen Planus With Pimecrolimus Cream
Status:
Terminated
Trial end date:
2005-04-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Background and hypothesis. Oral erosive lichen planus (OELP) is a severe form of mucosal
lichen planus. Lesions often induce intense pain and limit feeding. Its course is chronic
with flares and spontaneous remissions are rare. Treatment is difficult: topical steroids are
usually used first but antimalarials, oral retinoids, systemic steroids, immunosuppressive
drugs and even extracorporeal photochemotherapy can be necessary for treating severe forms.
The need for novel therapies with less morbidity is obvious. Calcineurin inhibitors have a
theoretical interest in treating OELP: this has been emphasized by several open studies
performed with topical tacrolimus. The effectiveness of 1% pimecrolimus cream has been
suggested by a few case reports and by one recent comparative study which confirmed the
potential interest of topical pimecrolimus in treating OELP. The absorption of pimecrolimus
through human mucosa is still unknown. Its application on ulcerative lesions such as OELP
ones, could lead to significant systemic levels of the molecule.
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of 1% pimecrolimus cream in treating oral erosive lichen
planus (OELP) and to assess its tolerance.