In adults with atopic dermatitis (AD), dupilumab improves skin barrier function better than topical corticosteroids (TCS) or cyclosporine, both in nonlesioned skin and eczematous lesions, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine. Maria SalazarNievas, MD, and colleagues conducted a prospective observational study of adults with AD treated with one of these three medications. After 16 weeks of treatment, the main outcome measures were 50% improvement in EASI (EASI-50) and 50% improvement in trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL; TEWL-50). The percentage of patients who achieved EASI-50 at 16 weeks was notably higher in patients receiving dupilumab compared with TCS and cyclosporine (81.8% vs 40.0% vs 28.6%). In patients with eczematous lesions, TEWL abated in patients receiving dupilumab (31.02 vs 12.10 g.h-1.m-2) and TCS (25.30 vs 14.88 g.h-1.m-2). At week 16, the percentage of patients who achieved TEWL-50 was higher for dupilumab than for TCS or cyclosporine.
