This investigation was carried out to compare the therapeutic efficacy and cosmetic acceptability of prednicarbate 0.25% ointment in the treatment of atopic dermatitis, and to monitor any local side-effects. A group of 51 patients suffering from atopic dermatitis were randomized to twice daily treatment with prednicarbate 0.25% ointment (n= 24) or vehicle control (n= 27) in a parallel group design with a 4-week treatment period. Prior to treatment, the groups were comparable in all clinically relevant aspects. Prednicarbate was shown to be statistically significantly superior to vehicle control in terms of efficacy. The number of adverse events was observed to be higher in the control group than in the prednicarbate group (15 and 2, respectively).