CHE Studies Presented at ESCD 2024 Congress

LEO Pharma A/S presented a range of new population-level and physician-reported data on the prevalence, severity, and treatment of moderate-to-severe chronic hand eczema (CHE). The data forms part of an expansive scientific program from LEO Pharma. Eight posters in total will be shared at the European Society of Contact Dermatitis (ESCD) congress, held in Dresden, Germany from September 4-7.

Four posters present data from CHECK (Chronic Hand Eczema epidemiology, Care, and Knowledge of real-life burden), a large multinational, prevalence study of CHE.1-4 CHECK was conducted among 60,131 adult participants from the general population in France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Canada, and the UK.^1-4 The data from CHECK is supported by the findings in the RWEAL (Real-World trEatment & mAnagement of chronic hand eczema in cLinical practice) study, which examined the physician-reported treatment patterns in CHE. It was a medical chart review of 1,939 patients, involving 292 physicians from Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the UK.⁵ Historically, data relating to the prevalence of CHE and treatment options has been limited.^6,7

“It is a privilege to present the results from the largest real-world studies LEO Pharma has ever completed,” Kreesten Meldgaard Madsen, LEO Pharma’s Chief Development Officer, said in a news release. “Our findings from the CHECK study are supported by the physician-reported outcomes of the RWEAL study and for the first time at this scale, the data from both studies can show the needs among people living with this debilitating disease, and the immense impact it can have on quality of life.”

CHECK results: Prevalence of CHE in adults and data from patient-reported outcomes

One poster shows that CHE is a common skin disease, with 5.6% of study participants self-reporting CHE in the last 12 months. Overall, 4.7% of participants reported physician-diagnosed CHE.¹

An additional CHECK poster concludes that CHE is a burdensome disease that can have a direct impact on occupation, leisure time, and overall daily life of individuals with CHE. Among participants who self-reported CHE (n=2,330), one in five (21.5%) attribute their disease to their occupation, and almost one in three (30.3%) to their household/leisure activities.²

“The heavy burden of chronic hand eczema is well understood but prevalence has been historically understudied in the general population,” said Professor Sonja Molin, chair of the Division of Dermatology, Queen’s University and lead author. “Large-scale, multinational studies like CHECK provide powerful insights to help us better understand this debilitating disease.”

Further analysis assessed participants with physician-reported CHE (n=1,948). It showed that, despite the majority of participants receiving treatment, symptoms persisted across all treatment groups, indicating an unmet treatment need in this population.³

RWEAL results: Data from physician-reported outcomes

The RWEAL poster presented at ESCD found that the use of medium, high, or ultra-high potency topical corticosteroids (TCS) was reported in more than 90% of moderate to severe CHE patients. More than one in four patients (27.4%) with moderate to severe CHE had progressed to phototherapy or systemic therapy, oral immunosuppressants, and biologics.⁵

Finally, in addition to the new data presented at the congress, three encore posters were also presented on the latest phase 3 clinical trial results from the DELTA 1, 2, and 3 studies. A symposium titled “Dear Diary: Chronic Hand Eczema in the patients’ words*” is also scheduled to take place on the 5th of September to shed more light on the CHE experience through the words of patients. ^8-10

1. Apfelbacher C, Bewley A, Molin S, et al. Prevalence of Chronic Hand Eczema in adults: A cross-sectional multi-national study of 60,000 respondents in the general population. Presented at the 2024 European Society of Contact Dermatitis (ESCD) congress; September 04-07 2024; Dresden, Germany. Poster presentation #3
2. Crepy MN, Molin S, Gimenez-Arnau AM, et al. Exploring the relationship between Chronic Hand Eczema occupation, and household/leisure activities. Presented at the 2024 European Society of Contact Dermatitis (ESCD) congress; September 04-07 2024; Dresden, Germany. Poster presentation #19
3. Molin S, Fargnoli MC, Crepy MN, et al. Self-reported disease severity and treatment of Chronic Hand Eczema from the CHECK study – A multinational study in six countries. Presented at the 2024 European Society of Contact Dermatitis (ESCD) congress; September 04-07 2024; Dresden, Germany. Poster presentation #64
4. Molin S, Le Calve P, Daccache A, et al. Self-reported disease severity and treatment of Chronic Hand Eczema in Germany. Presented at the 2024 European Society of Contact Dermatitis (ESCD) congress; September 04-07 2024; Dresden, Germany. Poster presentation #65
5. Gimenez-Arnau AM, Bewley A, Apfelbacher C, et al. Physician-reported treatment patterns in Chronic Hand Eczema – results from the multinational RWEAL medical chart review. Presented at the 2024 European Society of Contact Dermatitis (ESCD) congress; September 04-07 2024; Dresden, Germany. Poster presentation #27
6. Quaade AS, Simonsen AB, Halling AS, Thyssen JP, Johansen JD. Prevalence, incidence, and severity of hand eczema in the general population - A systematic review and meta-analysis. Contact Dermatitis. 2021;84(6):361-374.
7. Christoffers WA, Coenraads PJ, Svensson Å, et al. Interventions for hand eczema. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019;4(4):CD004055.
8. Bauer A, Schuttelaar ML, Baranowski K, et al. Delgocitinib cream reduces itch and pain in adults with moderate to severe Chronic Hand Eczema: pooled analyses of the Phase 3 DELTA-1 and -2 trials. Presented at the 2024 European Society of Contact Dermatitis (ESCD) congress; September 04-07 2024; Dresden, Germany. Poster presentation #8
9. Schuttelaar ML, Bissonnette R, Worm M, et al. Efficacy and safety of delgocitinib cream in adults with moderate to severe Chronic Hand Eczema: pooled results of the Phase 3 DELTA-1 and -2 trials. Presented at the 2024 European Society of Contact Dermatitis (ESCD) congress; September 04-07 2024; Dresden, Germany. Poster presentation #83
10. Molin S, Gooderham M, Bissonnette R, et al. Long-term safety and efficacy of delgocitinib cream for up to 36 weeks in adults with Chronic Hand Eczema: results of the Phase 3 open-label extension DELTA-3 trial. Presented at the 2024 European Society of Contact Dermatitis (ESCD) congress; September 04-07 2024; Dresden, Germany. Poster presentation #63