https://goo.gl/iWvPHH
Patients with moderate or severe atopic dermatitis (AD) had as much as 74% improvement in disease status with the oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor upadacitinib, a randomized trial showed.
After 16 weeks, patients randomized to one of three doses of upadacitinib had a mean improvement of 39.4% to 74.4% in the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI), as compared with 23% in the placebo group. Half of the patients had 90% improvement in the index (EASI 90) after 16 weeks. The same proportion met the criteria for almost/completely clear by investigator global assessment criteria (IGA 0/1).
Upadacitinib is a once-daily, oral JAK1-selective inhibitor under evaluation for several inflammatory diseases, Guttman-Yassky noted. The FDA recently granted breakthrough therapy status for the drug.
Adverse events, serious adverse events, and severe adverse events occurred in a similar proportion of placebo- and upadacitinib-treated patients. Rates of discontinuation because of adverse events were 5.0% with placebo and 2.4-9.5% with upadacitinib. The most common adverse events in all groups (including placebo) were upper respiratory tract infection, worsening of AD, and acne.