Atopic dermatitis treatment sees promising future with new drug approvals: GlobalData

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is experiencing a transformative shift in treatment management with recent drug approvals that address critical unmet needs. The introduction of novel therapies, such as Dermavant’s VTAMA (tapinarof) (Japan) and Arcutis’s ZORYVE (roflumilast) (US), with innovative mechanisms of action, offers hope for improved patient outcomes. As these treatments enter the market, they underscore the increasing focus on enhancing care for those affected by this widespread condition, says GlobalData.

GlobalData’s report, “Atopic Dermatitis Epidemiology Analysis and Forecast,” reveals that the number of the diagnosed prevalent cases of atopic dermatitis (AD) across the seven major markets (7MM*) is expected to increase at an annual growth rate (AGR) of more than 0.02 per cent between 2020 and 2030.

Filippos Maniatis, Healthcare Analyst at GlobalData, states, “It is an exciting time for the treatment landscape of AD as multiple therapies are coming closer to approval. VTAMA (tapinarof) and ZORYVE (roflumilast) in Japan and the US, respectively, bring further excitement to the wider community for what the future holds in the treatment landscape of AD.”

The severity of disease helps physicians to decide on the treatment that will be followed for AD patients. The basic treatment aims to help with avoiding triggers through bath oils and emollients, whereas in mild cases (EASI score), emollients are used to restore the skin barrier.

The current therapies for AD encompass topical and systemic treatments, including inhibitors that target Janus kinases (JAK), phosphodiesterases, calcineurin, and interleukins (ILs), as well as aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist (AhR) modulators and immunosuppressants.

“Many of these therapies are used off label. Vtama and Zoryve possess interesting mechanisms of action (MoAs). Vtama is an AhR agonist and presents a novel mechanism for AD, as no other marketed therapies employ it. Zoryve is a phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) inhibitor, and this MoA has been previously seen in Pfizer’s Eucrisa (crisaborole),” adds Maniatis.

Following recent approvals, the AD community is looking forward to promising outcomes from both therapies upon their use in AD patients. The AD space is very dynamic, with multiple pipeline agents currently in clinical trials. The addition of Vtama and Zoryve is promising and may provide an additional benefit to AD patients as their unmet needs related to the lack of effective AD therapies are further addressed.

Maniatis concludes, “AD is currently experiencing increased attention by pharma companies as there are still unmet needs that need to be addressed. Clinical trials are evaluating new mechanisms of action against AD, such as BTLA and OX40 inhibitors which have shown promising results as potential therapies for AD in Phase 2 and Phase 3 trials, denoting the opportunity for further research around potential AD treatments.”

*7MM: The US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and Japan.