TOPLINE

Treatment with abrocitinib led to minimal disease activity in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), with at least 90% improvements in the Eczema Area and Severity Index score (EASI-90) and a peak pruritus numerical rating scale score of 0-1 (PP-NRS 0/1) by week 16, compared to treatment with dupilumab or placebo.

METHODOLOGY

• Researchers conducted a post hoc analysis including data for adult patients with moderate-to-severe AD from three phase 3 clinical trials: JADE DARE, JADE COMPARE, and JADE EXTEND.
• Patients were randomly assigned to receive abrocitinib 200 mg/d, abrocitinib 100 mg/d, dupilumab 300 mg per 2 weeks, or placebo across the trials.
• The primary outcome was the achievement of EASI-90 and PP-NRS 0/1 by week 16.
• Other outcomes included changes in the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score assessed at weeks 12 and 16 among patients who achieved EASI-90 and PP-NRS 0/1 and the achievement of EASI-90 and PP-NRS 0/1 among dupilumab inadequate responders at week 16 after switching to abrocitinib.

TAKEAWAY

• In JADE DARE, a numerically higher proportion of patients achieved EASI-90 and PP-NRS 0/1 with abrocitinib 200 mg (5.8%) vs dupilumab (1.1%) as early as week 2; this proportion continued to increase and was maintained through week 26.
• In JADE COMPARE, 27.1% of patients treated with abrocitinib 200 mg vs 20.2% of those treated with abrocitinib 100 mg, 15.5% of those treated with dupilumab, and 5.4% of those treated with placebo achieved EASI-90 and PP-NRS 0/1 at week 16.
• Among patients with severe itch (PP-NRS 7-10) at baseline, EASI-90 and PP-NRS 0/1 response rates were numerically higher for abrocitinib 200 or 100 mg than for dupilumab or placebo at week 16. The change from baseline in DLQI scores ranged from 13.1 to 14.7 in patients who achieved EASI-90 and PP-NRS 0/1.
• In JADE EXTEND, 16.7% of dupilumab inadequate responders who switched to abrocitinib 200 mg and 18.5% of those who switched to abrocitinib 100 mg achieved EASI-90 and PP-NRS 0/1 by week 92.

IN PRACTICE

"Treatment with abrocitinib in patients may provide a complete and robust response in those with moderate-to-severe AD, regardless of prior dupilumab exposure, and support the role of abrocitinib in AD suppression and elevation of treatment standards," the authors wrote.

SOURCE

The study was led by Stephen Weidinger, Department of Dermatology and Allergy, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany. It was published online on June 27, 2026, in Dermatology and Therapy.

LIMITATIONS

The study was a post hoc analysis and had no formal statistical testing. The duration of treatments across JADE DARE and JADE COMPARE was relatively short.

DISCLOSURES

The study was funded by Pfizer, Inc. Five authors reported serving as speakers, advisory board members, and/or investigators or receiving research grants from Pfizer and other pharmaceutical companies. Five other authors reported being employees and shareholders of Pfizer, Inc. Full disclosures are noted in the original article.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.