Treatment of severe atopic dermatitis with tralokinumab in clinical practice: short-term effectiveness and safety results

Abstract

Background Tralokinumab was recently approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) and is the first selective interleukin (IL)-13 inhibitor that specifically neutralizes IL-13 with high affinity. Objectives To determine the real-life short-term effectiveness and safety of tralokinumab treatment in patients with moderate-to-severe AD. Methods A multicentre retrospective study was conducted including adult patients with moderate-to-severe AD who started tralokinumab treatment from 1 April to 30 June 2022 in 16 Spanish hospitals. Demographic and disease characteristics, severity and quality of life scales were collected at the baseline visit and at weeks 4 and 16. Results Eighty-five patients were included. Twenty-seven patients (32%) were non-naive to advanced therapy (biological or Janus kinase inhibitors inhibitors). All included patients had severe disease with baseline Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) scores of 25.4 (SD 8.1), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) 15.8 (5.4) and peak pruritus numerical rating scale (PP-NRS) 8.1 (1.8) and 65% had an Investigator’s Global Assessment (IGA) of 4. At week 16, there was improvement on all scales. The mean EASI decreased to 7.5 (SD 6.9, 70% improvement), SCORing Atopic Dermatitis improved 64% and PP-NRS, 57%. Also, 82%, 58% and 21% of the patients achieved EASI 50, 75 and 90, respectively. The percentage of EASI 75 responders was significantly higher among the naive vs. non-naive groups (67% vs. 41%). The safety profile was acceptable. Conclusions Patients, with a long history of disease and prior multidrug failure, showed a good response to tralokinumab, confirming clinical trial results.