Quality assessmentNo of patientsEffectQuality
No of studiesDesignRisk of biasInconsistencyIndirectnessImprecisionOther considerationsTazarotenePlaceboRelative (95% CI)Absolute
Investigator’s assessment (clear/nearly clear) – Tazarotene OD (follow-up 12 weeks)
2a
Weinstein 2003
randomised trialsvery seriousbseriouscno serious indirectnessseriousdnone50/860 (5.8%)9/443 (2%)RR 3.03 (0.83 to 11.07)41 more per 1000 (from 3 fewer to 205 more)⊕○○○
VERY LOW
Withdrawals due to adverse events – Tazarotene OD (follow-up 12 weeks)
3a
Weinstein 2003
Weinstein 1996
randomised trialsvery seriouseno serious inconsistencyno serious indirectnessno serious imprecisionnone112/1046 (10.7%)23/527 (4.4%)RR 2.45 (1.58 to 3.8)63 more per 1000 (from 25 more to 122 more)⊕⊕○○
LOW
Withdrawals due to lack of efficacy – Tazarotene OD (follow-up 12 weeks)
1
Weinstein 1996
randomised trialsseriousfno serious inconsistencyno serious indirectnessvery seriousgnone9/216 (4.2%)6/108 (5.6%)RR 0.75 (0.27 to 2.05)14 fewer per 1000 (from 41 fewer to 58 more)⊕○○○
VERY LOW
Skin atrophy – Tazarotene OD (follow-up 12 weeks)
1
Weinstein 1996
randomised trialsseriousfno serious inconsistencyno serious indirectnessno serious imprecisionnone0/216 (0%)0/108 (0%)not poolednot pooled⊕⊕⊕○
MODERATE
a

Two studies reported within one publication

b

2/2 unclear allocation concealment and blinding; 2/2 high drop-out rate (tazarotene: 38.5% and 36.6%; placebo: 32.2% and 23.8%)

c

Heterogeneity was present (I2 = 61%) that could not be explained by pre-defined subgroups (however, both studies showed the same direction of effect)

d

Confidence interval ranges from clinically important effect to no effect

e

3/3 unclear allocation concealment; 2/3 (weighted 47.4 and 39.1%) unclear blinding and high drop-out rate (tazarotene: 38.5% and 36.6%; placebo: 32.2% and 23.8%)

f

Unclear allocation concealment

g

Confidence interval crosses the boundary for clinical significance in favour of both treatments, as well as line of no effect

From: 8, Topical therapy

Cover of Psoriasis
Psoriasis: Assessment and Management of Psoriasis.
NICE Clinical Guidelines, No. 153.
National Clinical Guideline Centre (UK).
Copyright © National Clinical Guideline Centre - October 2012.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher or, in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the terms stated here should be sent to the publisher at the UK address printed on this page.

The use of registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant laws and regulations and therefore for general use.

The rights of National Clinical Guideline Centre to be identified as Author of this work have been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

NCBI Bookshelf. A service of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.