It’s Always Good to Have Options: Expanding the Menu of Treatments for Atopic Dermatitis

In this episode of Derms and Conditions, host James Q. Del Rosso, DO, welcomes Mona Shahriari, MD, associate director of clinical trials at Central CT Dermatology and assistant clinical professor at Yale University, to discuss the recent FDA approval of lebrikizumab, approved for atopic dermatitis (AD) in patients 12 years of age and up who have failed topical treatments like corticosteroids or calcineurin inhibitors, and its potential impact on treatment strategies. They begin by explaining the drug's flexibility, with an initial loading dose followed by maintenance dosing that can be extended to once a month for patients who achieve a satisfactory response after 16 weeks. Dr Shahriari emphasizes that determining an adequate response involves more than skin clearance; persistent symptoms like itchiness can indicate the need to continue more frequent dosing. They then discuss how many patients maintained their treatment response even after tapering dosing, with some experiencing benefits through week 52, suggesting a durable effect even when the treatment was paused. When discussing real-world use, Dr Shahriari notes lebrikizumab’s convenience for both patients and providers, as it does not require baseline or ongoing lab monitoring and has no drug-drug interactions. Addressing safety, Dr. Shahriari notes that while common side effects like conjunctivitis and injection site reactions were observed, the drug was generally well-tolerated without any major safety concerns. They conclude by reflecting on the heterogeneity of AD, noting that patients may respond differently to medications even within the same class and that it’s important to have multiple options to personalize treatment for each patient. Tune in to the full episode to hear more about lebrikizumab’s clinical performance and the growing toolbox for AD management that is allowing dermatologists to offer safer, more targeted treatments that greatly improve patients' quality of life.