Oral Baricitinib provides promising results in atopic dermatitis

USA: Oral Baricitinib, when used along with topical corticosteroids (TCSs), reduced inflammation and pruritus in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), according to a new study.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology (JAAD) found that administering 4mg baricitinib plus a topical corticosteroid to patients with atopic dermatitis helped in achieving 50% improvement in the Eczema Area and Severity Index score at week 16 at a significantly higher rate compared to patients receiving only topical corticosteroid.

Baricitinib is an oral selective inhibitor of Janus kinase 1 and Janus kinase 2 that modulates proinflammatory cytokine signaling.

Emma Guttman-Yassky, Icahn School of Medicine at the Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, New York, and colleagues conducted thus phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of baricitinib were evaluated in patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis.

The study involved 124 patients with moderate-to-severe AD. They were randomized to receive topical corticosteroids (TCSs) for 4 weeks before randomization to once-daily placebo, 2 mg of baricitinib, or 4 mg of baricitinib for 16 weeks.

The primary outcome was the proportion of patients achieving at least a 50% reduction in the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI-50) compared with placebo.

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Key findings of the study include:

• Significantly more patients who received baricitinib, 4 mg, achieved EASI-50 than did patients receiving placebo (61% vs 37%) at 16 weeks.


• The difference between the proportion of patients receiving baricitinib, 2 or 4 mg, who achieved EASI-50 and the proportion of patients receiving placebo and achieving EASI-50 was significant as early as week 4.


• Baricitinib also improved pruritus and sleep loss.


• Treatment-emergent adverse events were reported in 24 of the patients receiving placebo (49%), 17 of those receiving 2 mg of baricitinib (46%), and 27 of those receiving 4 mg of baricitinib (71%).

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"Baricitinib used with TCSs reduced inflammation and pruritus in patients with moderate-to-severe AD," concluded the authors, adding that, "Longer studies are required to confirm baricitinib's efficacy and safety in patients with AD."

For detailed study log on to https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaad.2018.01.018