Betamethasone Valerate
Betamethasone Valerate Prescribing Information
Topical corticosteroids are indicated for the relief of the inflammatory and pruritic manifestations of corticosteroid-responsive dermatoses.
Apply a thin film of Betamethasone Valerate Cream USP, 0.1% to the affected skin areas one to three times a day. Dosage once or twice a day is often effective.
Topical corticosteroids are contraindicated in those patients with a history of hypersensitivity to any of the components of the preparation.
The following local adverse reactions are reported infrequently with topical corticosteroids, but may occur more frequently with the use of occlusive dressings. These reactions are listed in an approximate decreasing order of occurrence: burning, itching, irritation, dryness, folliculitis, hypertrichosis, acneiform eruptions, hypopigmentation, perioral dermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis, maceration of the skin, secondary infection, skin atrophy, striae and miliaria.
Betamethasone Valerate Cream USP, 0.1% contains betamethasone valerate USP, a synthetic adrenocorticosteroid for dermatologic use. Betamethasone, an analog of prednisolone, has a high degree of glucocorticoid activity and a slight degree of mineralocorticoid activity.
Betamethasone valerate is a white to practically white odorless crystalline powder practically insoluble in water, freely soluble in acetone and chloroform, soluble in alcohol, and slightly soluble in benzene and ether. Chemically it is 9-fluoro-11β,17,21-trihydroxy-16β-methylpregna-1, 4-diene-3,20-dione 17-valerate. The structural formula is:
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| Molecular Formula: C 27H 37FO 6 | Molecular Weight: 476.59 | |
Each gram of Betamethasone Valerate Cream USP, 0.1% contains 1.2 mg betamethasone valerate (equivalent to 1 mg betamethasone) in a soft, white, hydrophilic cream of ceteareth-15, cetyl alcohol, mineral oil, polyethylene glycol 1000, propylene glycol, purified water, stearyl alcohol, white petrolatum, phosphoric acid and sodium hydroxide (for pH adjustment); chlorocresol is present as a preservative.
Topical corticosteroids share anti-inflammatory, antipruritic and vasoconstrictive actions.
The mechanism of anti-inflammatory activity of the topical corticosteroids is unclear. Various laboratory methods, including vasoconstrictor assays, are used to compare and predict potencies and/or clinical efficacies of the topical corticosteroids. There is some evidence to suggest that a recognizable correlation exists between vasoconstrictor potency and therapeutic efficacy in man.