ALPHA: ALitretinoin versus PUVA in severe chronic HAnd eczema trial

The ALPHA trial compares Alitretinoin and PUVA therapy in patients aged 18 years and over with severe hand eczema which is not controlled on a daily (regular) basis with prescription steroid creams.

The purpose of the ALPHA research study is to find out the most effective treatment for chronic hand eczema. The two most common treatments include (1) exposure of hands to ultra violet (UV) light after they have been soaked in a solution called psoralen (a process referred to as PUVA) and (2) the tablet treatment Alitretinoin.

Although both of these treatments are equally used by doctors in standard clinical practice, there is no clear evidence indicating which of these two treatments is most effective in treating which type of hand eczema. This study will directly compare these two treatments to examine:

• how good the hands heal with the treatment in the short term
• how good the hands heal with the treatment in the longer term
• how long the skin can remain clear once healed
• which of these two treatments is most effective in treating which types of hand eczema

BBC Look North (Yorkshire) features Dr Miriam Wittmann discussing the ALPHA trial – click the link (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03tqv2c) to watch the full programme. Here’s a shortened version of the video on the BBC Look North face book page.