Key clinical point: Acne caused by upadacitinib in adolescents and adults with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) is typically mild or moderate in severity and may not be considered a significant safety risk.
Major finding: Acne of mostly mild or moderate severity was reported by a higher proportion of patients receiving 15 mg upadacitinib (9.8%) and 30 mg upadacitinib (15.2%) vs placebo (2.2%), with no intervention required in 40.5% and 46.6% of patients receiving 15 and 30 mg upadacitinib, respectively. The improvement in quality-of-life scores was proportional to the decrease in AD severity and was similar in patients with or without acne.
Study details: Findings are from a post hoc integrated analysis of 3 phase 3 trials including 2583 patients with moderate-to-severe AD who were randomly assigned to receive upadacitinib (15 or 30 mg) or placebo as monotherapy or with concomitant topical corticosteroids.
Disclosures: This study was funded by AbbVie, Inc. Five authors declared being employees or stockholders of AbbVie. The other authors reported ties with various sources, including AbbVie.
Source: Mendes-Bastos P et al. Characterization of acne associated with upadacitinib treatment in patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis: A post hoc integrated analysis of 3 phase 3 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2022 (Jun 14). Doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2022.06.012