News & Updates

Meeting individual needs of patients with atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory skin disease with complex aetiology and presentation. Globally, AD incidence is heterogeneous – it is higher in Africa and Oceania and lower in India and northeastern and eastern Europe, said Prof Martin Steinhoff, director, Translational Research Institute, Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha, Qatar, who chaired a Pfizer-sponsored symposium during WCD 2023.

AD has a variable course, and its heterogeneous presentation adds complexity to how the disease is managed. The burden of AD is the highest among all skin diseases, added Steinhoff. It has mental health manifestations such as anxiety and depression, chronic itch, fatigue, skin pain, and sleep disturbance. AD may also co-exist with other comorbidities that could impact patients’ general health. “We need to assess every patient carefully and manage them optimally,” he pointed out.

Steinhoff is joined by renowned experts Dr Mahreen Ameen, consultant dermatologist, Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, and Dr Chih-Ho Hong, dermatologist, Saint Paul Hospital in Vancouver, Canada. Together, they shared four global cases of AD, including treatment options for patients.

Atopic dermatitis: Key drivers in making treatment decisions

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing skin disease that requires long-term control. At the 25th World Congress of Dermatology (WCD) in Singapore, Professor Sonja Ständer, professor of dermatology and neurodermatology at the University Hospital Münster, Germany, and Professor Zuotao Zhao, dermatologist from the First Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China, shared clinical approaches to managing patients with moderate-to-severe AD. The session was chaired by Professor Johannes Ring, director, Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Biederstein at the Technical University of Munich, Germany. Among the key topics discussed were the multifactorial nature of AD, its primary symptoms, and the various therapeutic options for itch relief.

Abrocitinib: The Novel Oral Treatment for Moderate-to-Severe Atopic Dermatitis

Abrocitinib, the first janus kinase (JAK)1 inhibitor specifically indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD), was recently approved in Singapore. During a webinar hosted by the Dermatological Society of Singapore, with the support of Pfizer, Professor Stephan Weidinger of University Hospital Scheswig-Holstein, Germany discussed several cases that exemplified appropriate patient selection for this novel agent.