Significantly more patients treated with AbbVie’s upadacitinib in both of the Measure Up 1 and 2 studies achieved at least a 90 percent improvement in the Eczema Area Severity Index (EASI 90) compared to patients treated with placebo at week 16. The proportion of patients achieving a clinically meaningful itch reduction was significantly higher than placebo at week 4 and maintained through week 16.

Findings were reported at the 29th European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Virtual Congress.

The Phase 3 Measure Up 1 and Measure Up 2 studies supported the recent applications to FDA and European Medicines Agency, seeking approval for Rinvoq in adult and adolescent patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis.

“I’m encouraged to see results showing a high proportion of patients treated with upadacitinib achieved EASI 90, or almost clear skin, and significant reduction in their itch,” said lead investigator Emma Guttman-Yassky , MD, PhD, professor of dermatology and immunology, director of the center for excellence in eczema and laboratory for inflammatory skin diseases and the incoming chair of the department of dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. “The speed and degree of response with upadacitinib are meaningful to patients, many of whom suffer from substantial burden of disease that can interfere with daily life.” 

AbbVie says it will also present new analyses showing significantly more patients reported improvements in quality of life as measured by a Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score of 0/1 after 16 weeks of treatment with upadacitinib, compared to those on placebo.