Jeff Yu, MD, MS

Credit: Massachusetts General Hospital

While many eczema treatments have been appearing in recent years, many dermatologists wait with anticipation for the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision on tapinarof, 1% (Vtama) for adults and children.

Recent data from the ADORING 1 and 2 phase 3 trials, shown at the 2023 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress in Berlin, led to promising results.¹ These included rapid reduction in pruritus as early as 24 hours following the first application of tapinarof.

In honor of October being Eczema Awareness Month, JiaDe (Jeff) Yu, MD, MS, of Massachusetts General Hospital, spoke with the editorial team at HCPLive on tapinarof and other recent developments in the atopic dermatitis treatment space.

Yu is both a dermatologist and pediatric dermatologist as well as member of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology. He first discussed newer topical treatment options, which he noted will be used widely given that most eczema patients have mild-to-moderate disease.

“More recently, they came out with topical JAK inhibitors, one of them called ruxolitinib, and that is a very effective topical medication that has the same advantages of being a non-steroid, but it's a bit more effective in clinical trials,” Yu said. “...Now there are 2 topical medications coming out that are FDA-approved currently for the treatment of psoriasis: One of them is called roflumilast and the other one is called Vtama, and both of those medications have been shown to be effective in psoriasis. Clinical trials have shown them to be quite effective in atopic dermatitis as well.”

Yu further explained the benefits of some of these treatments, specifically going into tapinarof’s benefit as a once-daily nonsteroidal.

“Yeah, I think convenience is key,” Yu explained. “You know, some people after years of putting creams on their body, really do not want to put a cream on twice a day, especially when we're talking about a sticky ointment. Thankfully, some of the newer ones that are coming out some come out as foam, some coming out as cream. These are going to go on a little bit more aesthetically, delicately, instead of thick ointments. But I think a once-daily application is huge for people.”

To find out more from Yu’s interview, view the full video posted above.

The quotes contained here were edited for clarity.

References

1. ^{Smith T. Eric Simpson, MD: New Findings on Tapinarof Cream for Adults, Children with Atopic Dermatitis. HCPLive. October 13, 2023. Date accessed: October 26, 2023. https://www.hcplive.com/view/eric-simpson-md-new-findings-tapinarof-cream-adults-children-atopic-dermatitis.}