Three new drugs that can treat severe eczema have been approved for use by the NHS.
Patients who do not react to normal therapies or who must discontinue them owing to negative effects will be offered these medications.
The three therapies, abrocitinib, upadacitinib, and tralokinumab, have an almost immediate effect on symptoms, according to experts.
Dr. Padma Mohandas, a consultant dermatologist at the Barts Health NHS Trust in London, stated, “Eczema is a common condition, but it can be difficult to treat in some situations.” In the most extreme situations, it is a debilitating sickness that leaves sufferers feeling ashamed, socially alienated, and suicidal.
We can offer patients hope that their skin will improve with these new medications, which are life-altering.
Eczema, commonly known as atopic dermatitis, affects about six million individuals in the United Kingdom.
The condition creates dry, itchy, prone-to-cracking, and bleeding patches of skin. It is not fully understood what causes it, although it is believed that the immune system mistakenly attacks the skin.
Changes in temperature, exposure to sunshine, and irritation from items such as sunblock, fabric conditions, and specific clothing are all examples of triggers.
Eczema typically appears on the hands, inner elbows, knees, and face, and there is no known cure. Some people suffer dry skin in little places, while others may have it all over their bodies. First-line therapies include moisturizers and lotions, but for many patients, these are inadequate and stronger anti-inflammatory drugs, such as methotrexate and ciclosporin, are required.
Attacking the immune system as a whole, these are successful but leave patients vulnerable to serious infections. Other adverse effects include irreversible kidney damage, elevated blood pressure, and diminished liver function.
The new medications are licensed for people over the age of 12 with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, which affects at least 10% of the body.
JAK inhibitors abrocitinib and upadacitinib are abrocitinib and upadacitinib. These prevent the immune system from attacking the skin by inhibiting Janus kinases, enzymes that assist initiate the immunological response.
Tralokinumab is a monoclonal antibody medication that inhibits the function of the pro-inflammatory interleukin-4 and interleukin-13 proteins.
Since he was three months old, Jack Ransom, 27, from South London, had suffered from atopic eczema. Throughout his childhood, ninety percent of his body was covered with dry, cracked skin. The only therapies offered at the time were steroid creams and moisturizers.
Although the physical effects were unpleasant and caused him to continually itch, the psychological aspect was the most difficult. According to him, having extremely cracked, flaky, and swollen skin, especially on the face, has a significant impact on meeting new people. It dictated what clothes I could wear, as excessive scratching caused me to bleed through white school shirts.
You wouldn’t want to date someone red, itching, and puffy, therefore I would avoid certain social occasions.
In 2019, following a severe eczema flare-up, Jack enrolled in a clinical trial of tralokinumab at Oxford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The itching that had bothered him since boyhood disappeared after 24 hours. And within a week of taking the daily pills, a significant portion of his skin had improved.
He recalls, “I used to have to moisturize my skin six to seven times every day, and I carried a sack full of creams everywhere I went.” Currently, I only moisturize in the morning and evening.
The majority of individuals I interact with are unaware that I had suffered from atopic dermatitis because my damaged skin has nearly disappeared. It has made a significant difference and boosted my confidence in social situations.
Although the pills have rendered him more susceptible to some skin illnesses, such as cysts, he says, ‘I’ve never regretted taking them.’ It has made a tremendous difference in my life, therefore I’m thrilled that more people can now use it.
