The authors noted further, “data in this study suggest that patients with AD treated with baricitinib may be able to reduce the frequency and total quantity of concomitant TCSs [topical corticosteroids] used, thus mitigating concerns associated with continual or sustained application of topical treatments.”
“Overall, this study provides further evidence to support the efficacy and safety profile of baricitinib for the treatment of moderate-severe AD,” commented one of the authors, Jonathan I. Silverberg, MD, PhD, MPH, of the department of dermatology at George Washington University in Washington.
“In particular, this study shows that adding topical corticosteroids to baricitinib increases the rate of treatment success compared with the efficacy seen in baricitinib monotherapy studies. These data will be important to guide the use of baricitinib with topical corticosteroids in clinical practice. I think these data are also important because they show that baricitinib 4 mg may be more effective than 2 mg in some patients,” he said in an interview.
In late September, the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use recommended approval of oral baricitinib for adults with moderate to severe AD who are candidates for systemic therapy. Baricitinib is approved in the European Union and the United States to treat moderate to severe active rheumatoid arthritis. If approved in Europe, it will be the first JAK inhibitor and first oral medication indicated to treat patients with AD.
The study was funded by Eli Lilly and Company under license from Incyte Corporation. Dr. Reich reported receiving fees to the institution for participation in clinical trials from Eli Lilly and Company during the conduct of the study and personal fees for lectures. Dr. Silverberg reported receiving fees from Eli Lilly and Company during the conduct of the study, and fees from companies outside of this work. Other authors also reported disclosures related to Eli Lilly and other pharmaceutical companies, and several authors were Eli Lilly employees.
SOURCE: Reich K et al. JAMA Dermatol. 2020 Sep 30. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2020.3260.