Teratogenic Effects: Pregnancy Category C

There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Pregnant women were excluded from the clinical studies conducted with Taclonex® Ointment. Taclonex® Ointment should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit to the patient justifies the potential risk to the fetus. Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Taclonex® Ointment. Taclonex® Ointment contains calcipotriene that has been shown to be fetotoxic and betamethasone dipropionate that has been shown to be teratogenic in animals when given systemically.   


Teratogenicity studies with calcipotriene were performed by the oral route in rats and rabbits. In rabbits, increased maternal and fetal toxicity were noted at a dosage of 12 mcg/kg/day (144 mcg/m2/day); a dosage of 36 mcg/kg/day (432 mcg/m2/day) resulted in a significant increase in the incidence of incomplete ossification of the pubic bones and forelimb phalanges of fetuses. In a rat study, a dosage of 54 mcg/kg/day (324 mcg/m2/day) resulted in a significantly increased incidence of skeletal abnormalities (enlarged fontanelles and extra ribs). The enlarged fontanelles are most likely due to the effect of calcipotriene upon calcium metabolism. The estimated maternal and fetal no-adverse effect levels (NOAEL) in the rat (108 mcg/m2/day) and rabbit (48 mcg/m2/day) derived from oral studies are lower than the estimated maximum topical dose of calcipotriene in man (460 mcg/m2/day).

  
Corticosteroids are generally teratogenic in laboratory animals when administered systemically at relatively low dosage levels.   
  
Betamethasone dipropionate has been shown to be teratogenic in mice and rabbits when given by the subcutaneous route at doses of 156 mcg/kg/day (468 mcg/m2/day) and 2.5 mcg/kg/day (30 mcg/m2/day), respectively. Those dose levels are lower than the estimated maximum topical dose in man (about 5950 mcg/m2/day). The abnormalities observed included umbilical hernia, exencephaly and cleft palate.  
  
Two oral peri- and post-natal development studies were conducted with rats:  
Pregnant Wistar rats were dosed daily with calcipotriene at exposures of 0, 6, 18 or 54 mcg/kg/day from gestation day 15 through day 20 postpartum. No remarkable effects were observed on any parameter, including survival, behavior, body weight, litter parameters, or the ability to nurse or rear pups.  
  
Betamethasone dipropionate was evaluated for effects when orally administered to pregnant rats from gestation day 6 through day 20 postpartum at dosages of 0, 100, 300, and 1000 mcg/kg/day. Mean maternal body weight was significantly reduced on gestation day 20 in animals dosed at 300 and 1000 mcg/kg/day. The mean duration of gestation was slightly, but statistically significantly, increased at 100, 300, and 1000 mcg/kg/day. The mean percentage of pups that survived to day 4 was reduced in relation to dosage. On lactation day 5, the percentage of pups with a reflex to right themselves when placed on their back was significantly reduced at 1000 mcg/kg/day. No effects on the ability of pups to learn were observed, and the ability of the offspring of treated rats to reproduce was not affected.