The first skin cream to combine two popular psoriasis therapies in a single, once-a-day treatment Taclonex has received the FDA approval.

Psoriases, a chronic skin disease that can cause patches of inflamed, scaly, and itchy skin, is suffered by more than 4.5 million people. Psoriasis is not a contagious disease. There is not a cure for this disease. However, there are several treatments that can keep it under control.

The two widely used psoriasis treatments combined in Taclonex are:

• A form of vitamin D to control cell growth

• A corticosteroid to treat inflammation

Studies that showed the skin cream significantly improved mild to severe cases of psoriasis became the basis of FDA approval.

Taclonex, which was developed in Denmark in 2001, has been used in 63 countries under the names Daivobet and Dovobet.

Talconex was marketed by Warner Chilcott in the United States and in June 2006 it was made available in American pharmacies.

There is a cream still under development with ingredients from fish and which can relieve psoriasis as well as eczema. This cream has shown promising results in psoriasis and eczema treatment trials.

Gelatine and fish enzymes are the ingredients of this cream, which is under development by researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim and the University of Bergen, Norway.

Zonase, the enzyme found in fish eggs, is an important ingredient in the product. Without harming living cells, the enzyme can break down dead skin cells. This cream helps to dead skin to flake off, while stimulating the growth of new cells.