Abstract

ULTRALANUM - Corticosterone is one of the main steroids synthesised by the adrenal cortex, but it has only very slight anti-inflammatory action. For this reason it has not been used as a starting point in the search for clinically useful anti-inflammatory steroids until now: fluocortolone is 6-fluorinated, 16-methylated corticosterone. Given by mouth its anti-inflammatory potency is similar to that of prednisolone.^{1 2} Ultralanum (Schering, Berlin) is a new ointment containing 0.25% fluocortolone as the free alcohol, the caproate ester in the same strength and 2.5% clemizole-hexachlorophane, an antiseptic. A second formulation, containing the two steroids without the antiseptic is regrettably called ‘Ultralanum Plain’.