New Eczema Treatment
March 17, 2000 (San Francisco) -- A new class of medications to treat eczema may soon hit the market, according to researchers at a dermatology meeting. These new treatments are very effective and do not have the long-term side effects, such as damage to the skin, that are seen with the currently available steroid creams and ointments.
Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, afflicts 6% of all Americans -- 15 million adults and children -- with red and inflamed patches of skin that are uncontrollably itchy. The condition burdens mostly children, and although nearly half of them outgrow the condition, the rest suffer with it their entire lives.
Although prescription treatments are available, no new topical medications specifically for eczema have been introduced in more than four decades. Now, a new type of drugs, called topical immunomodulators (TIMs), is showing encouraging results in human studies. Like steroids, these new medications calm down the overactive immune system that is the cause of the skin condition associated with eczema. However, unlike steroid creams and ointments, they do not appear to cause the thinning of the skin that makes the skin more susceptible to sun damage. Dermatologists learned about the new treatment this week at the 58th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) here in San Francisco.
"Finally, after 40 years, a [new] option that appears [to be] very safe," dermatologist and researcher Amy Paller, MD, tells WebMD. "[Development of] this new class of drugs is extremely exciting." Paller is a pediatric dermatologist at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
Two TIMs are in development, tacrolimus and ascomycin, and unlike many current eczema creams and ointments, they are steroid-free. The new class of drugs has been tested in 2,000 children and adults, and "it looks very effective," Paller says. Currently undergoing approval by the FDA, researchers expect TIMs will be available later this year.
For many, the launch of TIMs can't come soon enough. Since 1970, the incidence of eczema has nearly tripled. "Physicians, adult patients, and parents of young children with eczema are always looking for new treatment options that relieve the discomfort of this condition," Paller says. The beauty of the new agent, she says, is that, in contrast to topical steroids, TIMs have shown no evidence of side effects.
Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, afflicts 6% of all Americans -- 15 million adults and children -- with red and inflamed patches of skin that are uncontrollably itchy. The condition burdens mostly children, and although nearly half of them outgrow the condition, the rest suffer with it their entire lives.
Although prescription treatments are available, no new topical medications specifically for eczema have been introduced in more than four decades. Now, a new type of drugs, called topical immunomodulators (TIMs), is showing encouraging results in human studies. Like steroids, these new medications calm down the overactive immune system that is the cause of the skin condition associated with eczema. However, unlike steroid creams and ointments, they do not appear to cause the thinning of the skin that makes the skin more susceptible to sun damage. Dermatologists learned about the new treatment this week at the 58th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) here in San Francisco.
"Finally, after 40 years, a [new] option that appears [to be] very safe," dermatologist and researcher Amy Paller, MD, tells WebMD. "[Development of] this new class of drugs is extremely exciting." Paller is a pediatric dermatologist at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
Two TIMs are in development, tacrolimus and ascomycin, and unlike many current eczema creams and ointments, they are steroid-free. The new class of drugs has been tested in 2,000 children and adults, and "it looks very effective," Paller says. Currently undergoing approval by the FDA, researchers expect TIMs will be available later this year.
For many, the launch of TIMs can't come soon enough. Since 1970, the incidence of eczema has nearly tripled. "Physicians, adult patients, and parents of young children with eczema are always looking for new treatment options that relieve the discomfort of this condition," Paller says. The beauty of the new agent, she says, is that, in contrast to topical steroids, TIMs have shown no evidence of side effects.