Adult atopic dermatitis: new and emerging therapies

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Adult atopic dermatitis (AD) is very difficult to manage. Indeed, AD in adults is frequently refractory to topical treatment, especially with regards to the persistent form. Therefore, long-term treatment with oral immunosuppressive therapy is often required to control the burden of the disease, prevent flare-ups and achieve better patient quality of life outcomes.

Areas covered: In the last decade the better understanding of AD pathogenesis has been used to improve treatment strategies with many emerging therapeutics options. Epidermal barrier impairment often plays the initial role in the initiation of the disease. Moreover, T helper 2 cytokines interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 and their downstream effects are prominent in AD, with pleiotropic effects on the innate and adaptive immune system. Targeting these cells, their products or receptors appears to be a reasonable therapeutic strategy.

Expert commentary: In the next years, many therapeutic options for adult AD will be available. Clinical trials showed that JAK inhibitors, PDE-4 inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies against some IL (IL-4, IL 13, IL-17, IL-22, IL-31) seem to be the most promising drugs, but dermatologists will have to evaluate their effectiveness and safety in clinical practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Adult atopic dermatitis
• emerging systemic treatments
• emerging topical treatments
• small molecules
• biologic drugs

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

A reviewer on this manuscript has disclosed that they were an investigator of the dupilumab study. Another reviewer has disclosed that they received research, speaking and/or consulting support from a variety of companies including Galderma, GSK/Stiefel, Almirall, Leo Pharma, Boehringer Ingelheim, Mylan, Celgene, Pfizer, Ortho Dermatology, Abbvie, Samsung, Janssen, Lilly, Menlo, Merck, Novartis, Regeneron, Sanofi, Novan, Qurient, National Biological Corporation, Caremark, Advance Medical, Sienna, Sun Pharma, Suncare Research, Informa, UpToDate and National Psoriasis Foundation.

Additional information

Funding

This manuscript was not funded.