The differential effects of upadacitinib treatment on skin rashes of four anatomical sites in patients with atopic dermatitis

Background: Upadacitinib is an oral Janus kinase (JAK) 1 inhibitor approved in Japan for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD), and it provides a high therapeutic efficacy.

Objectives: We compared the therapeutic effects of upadacitinib on skin rashes of individual anatomical sites, head and neck, upper limbs, lower limbs, and trunk in patients with AD.

Methods: From August 2021 to December 2022, 65 Japanese patients with moderate-to-severe AD (aged ≥ 12 years) were treated with oral once daily upadacitinib 15 mg plus twice daily topical corticosteroids of moderate-to-strongest classes.

Results: The eczema area and severity indexes (EASIs) of individual sites decreased significantly at weeks 4, 12, and 24 compared to those at week 0 in parallel to total (whole body) EASI. The achievement rates of EASI 75 at week 24 and of EASI 90 at week 12 of lower limbs were significantly higher than those of trunk. The percent reductions of EASI of lower limbs at weeks 12 and 24 were significantly higher than those of head and neck and of trunk.

Conclusions: Among the four anatomical sites, the treatment responsiveness to upadacitinib in lower limbs appeared the highest, while those in trunk and in head and neck appeared relatively lower.

 

Comments:

Based on the study conducted on 65 Japanese patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD), the therapeutic effects of upadacitinib were compared across different anatomical sites, including the head and neck, upper limbs, lower limbs, and trunk. The patients were treated with oral upadacitinib 15 mg once daily in combination with topical corticosteroids of moderate-to-strongest classes administered twice daily.

The results of the study showed that the eczema area and severity indexes (EASIs) of individual sites significantly decreased at weeks 4, 12, and 24 compared to the baseline (week 0) values, as did the total (whole body) EASI. However, there were differences observed in the treatment response across the anatomical sites.

The achievement rates of EASI 75 at week 24 and EASI 90 at week 12 were significantly higher in the lower limbs compared to the trunk. Additionally, the percent reductions of EASI in the lower limbs at weeks 12 and 24 were significantly higher compared to the head and neck and trunk.

Based on these findings, it can be concluded that among the four anatomical sites studied, the lower limbs showed the highest treatment responsiveness to upadacitinib. On the other hand, the trunk and head and neck areas demonstrated relatively lower responsiveness to the treatment.

Related Products

Cat.No.	Product Name	Information
S8162	Upadacitinib	Upadacitinib is a selective JAK1 inhibitor which demonstrates activity against JAK1 (0.045 μM) and JAK2 (0.109 μM), with > 40 fold selectivity over JAK3 (2.1 μM) and 100 fold selectivity over TYK2 (4.7 μM) as compared to JAK1.

Related Targets

JAK