The Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor upadacitinib is an effective and well-tolerated treatment option for adolescents with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD), an analysis of three clinical trials reports.

Upadacitinib (Rinvoq) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older with refractory, moderate to severe AD, in January 2022. This study analyzed the adolescent data in three double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 randomized clinical trials, which included adults and 552 adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age with moderate to severe AD in more than 20 countries in Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, Oceania, and the Asia-Pacific region from July 2018 through December 2020.

In the studies, “treatment of moderate to severe AD in adolescents with upadacitinib was effective and generally well tolerated, with an overall efficacy and safety profile similar to that observed in adults, and patient-reported outcomes indicated an overall better health-related quality of life compared with placebo,” lead study author Amy S. Paller, MD, chair of the department of dermatology and professor of dermatology and pediatrics, at Northwestern University, Chicago, and her colleagues write in JAMA Dermatology.

Adolescents in the three studies – Measure Up 1, Measure Up 2, and AD Up – received once-daily oral upadacitinib 15 mg, 30 mg, or placebo. All participants in AD Up used topical corticosteroids.

At 16 weeks, in Measure Up 1, Measure Up 2, and AD Up, respectively, a greater proportion of adolescents improved by at least 75% in the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI 75) with upadacitinib 15 mg (73%, 69%, 63%); and with upadacitinib 30 mg (78%, 73%, 84%), compared with placebo (12%, 13%, 30%), (P < .001 for all comparisons vs. placebo).

Upadacitinib was generally well tolerated among the adolescents, with mild or moderate acne being the most common adverse event, reported in 10%-13% of those on 15 mg and 15%-16% of those on 30 mg vs. 2%-3% of those on placebo.

Asked to comment on the study, Peck Ong, MD, a pediatric allergist and immunologist at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, said that he was not surprised by the drug’s effectiveness because JAK inhibitors are potent immunosuppressants. Strengths of the studies include the many pediatric participants, its international reach, and its use of standardized and validated measures, said Dr. Ong, who was not involved in the study.

“The effect of JAK inhibitors is more specific than traditional immunosuppressants such as cyclosporine and methotrexate but not as specific as biologics; therefore, long-term safety data are needed,” he advised. “16 weeks is a very short time to study a chronic disease like atopic dermatitis. We need safety data longer than 1 year.”

Given the disease’s potential impact on self-esteem, sleep, and other important areas of life, Sean Reynolds, MBBCH, a pediatric dermatologist at Children’s Mercy Kansas City (Mo.), welcomed the data on the newer pharmacologic agents.

“FDA-approved systemic treatment options for adolescents with AD are currently limited, which necessitates studies such as this that explore additional treatment options,” said Dr. Reynolds, who also was not involved in the study, told this news organization.

He added that oral upadacitinib may especially help patients who have not found relief with other topical or systemic treatments or who are needle phobic. While the overall efficacy and relatively mild side effects for most patients taking upadacitinib in the trials are encouraging, “the long-term efficacy and side effects in this population require further study, especially considering the limited systemic AD treatment options available in this age group,” he added.

“Given the reported use of other JAK inhibitors to treat myriad inflammatory skin conditions beyond atopic dermatitis, the potential use of upadacitinib and other JAK inhibitors to treat these skin diseases in children and adolescents represents an exciting area for future study in the field of pediatric dermatology,” Dr. Reynolds noted.

The study was funded by AbbVie, the developer and manufacturer of upadacitinib. Dr. Paller and almost all other authors reported relevant financial relationships with AbbVie and other pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Ong reported serving on an AbbVie advisory board, and Dr. Reynolds reported no conflict of interest with the study.

This article originally appeared on MDedge.com, part of the Medscape Professional Network.

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