Continuous Abrocitinib Use Linked to Better Long-Term AD Outcomes: Study
Key Takeaways
Completing the full 12-week induction phase led to better disease control and longer remission.
Tapered or continued use outperformed early discontinuation across all study outcome measures.
Researchers said the findings confirm abrocitinib’s sustained benefit in everyday clinical practice.
A new real-world study suggests that sustained abrocitinib treatment and adherence to the full 12-week induction phase improved outcomes and delay relapse in patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD).
"Although clinical studies have demonstrated the effectiveness and safety of abrocitinib for moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD), real-world evidences are limited," the authors wrote in the study. "In particular, studies exploring the impact of different treatment modes on prognosis are currently lacking."
The study included patients with moderate to severe AD who initiated abrocitinib between August 2023 and April 2024. Following initial disease control, patients either continued on a daily 100 mg dose, tapered their regimen, or discontinued treatment altogether, based on shared decision-making. Clinical endpoints included validated measures such as the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI), SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD), Peak Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (pp-NRS), and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI).
Among patients taking daily abrocitinib, 33.3% achieved EASI-75 and 58.3% reached pp-NRS4 (with an average 12.8-point improvement in DLQI scores). Completers of the induction phase showed significantly greater improvements in disease severity, itch intensity, and quality of life than those who discontinued early, even when accounting for continued vs. tapered therapy. Those same patients also experienced a longer time to relapse.
“Continuous treatment with abrocitinib and completion of the 12-week induction period were associated with improved outcomes and reduced relapse rates in AD patients,” the authors concluded.
Source: Deng S, et al. Dermatitis. 2025. Doi:10.1089/derm.2024.04