WAILEA, HAWAII – In an interview, pediatric dermatologist Lawrence F. Eichenfield, MD, discusses a recently approved topical therapy for atopic dermatitis, which provides a nonsteroidal option for treating the disease in young patients.
“We’re really excited to have a new topical agent” for AD, Dr. Eichenfield said in a video interview at the Hawaii Dermatology Seminar provided by Global Academy for Medical Education/Skin Disease Education Foundation.
The product, crisaborole (Eucrisa), is a phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE-4) inhibitor, a new type of chemical entity “based on a different pathway of decreasing inflammation,” said Dr. Eichenfield, professor of dermatology and pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego. Crisaborole, the first new chemical entity to become available for treating AD since 2001, blocks PDE-4 and decreases cytokines, thereby reducing the inflammation in AD, he explained.
In the United States, the product is approved for the topical treatment of mild to moderate AD for patients aged 2 years and older. No serious adverse events attributed to crisaborole have been reported so far, in phase II and III studies and in a 1-year study, he said.
Dr. Eichenfield disclosed relationships with companies including Anacor/Pfizer, Genentech, Lilly, Regeneron/Sanofi, Medimetriks, and Otsuka. Crisaborole is manufactured by Anacor. SDEF and this news organization are owned by the same parent company.