Background: Desonide 0.05% was recently developed in an emulsion foam formulation.
Objective: The safety of desonide foam 0.05% in children aged 3 months to 17 years was evaluated in two phase II studies and one phase III study.
Methods: A phase II open-label study of the effect of desonide foam 0.05% on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis was evaluated in pediatric and adolescent participants with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis. The phase II and III clinical efficacy studies evaluated adverse events.
Results: At the end of the 4-week treatment in the phase II study, 4% (3 of 75) of participants experienced mild, reversible hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis suppression. The combined safety data from the phase II and III studies revealed 6% of participants in the desonide foam group and 14% in the vehicle foam group reported adverse events (P = .0002), with application site burning as the most commonly reported adverse event (3% in the desonide foam group vs 7% in the vehicle foam group; P = .004).
Limitations: The studies evaluated short-term use only.
Conclusion: Desonide foam was safe and well tolerated in participants as young as 3 months.