TOPLINE:

Lebrikizumab demonstrated effectiveness and safety in treating moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis in a predominantly adult White population, with significant improvements seen in symptoms and quality of life after 16 weeks, according to a real-world multicentre retrospective cohort study.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a multicentre retrospective cohort study across 26 Italian tertiary referral hospitals and enrolled 78 adult patients (mean age, 37.6 years; 53.9% women; 80.8% White) with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis between January and December 2024.
• Patients received subcutaneous injections of lebrikizumab 500 mg at weeks 0 and 2, followed by 250 mg every 2 weeks until week 16.
• Most patients (62.8%) had previously been exposed to biologics or JAK inhibitors, whereas 37.2% of patients were naive to biologics or JAK inhibitors.
• The primary outcome was the percentage change in Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) scores from baseline to week 16.
• Secondary outcomes included percentage changes in scores of EASI head and neck, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), numerical rating scale (NRS)-pruritus, NRS-sleep, Atopic Dermatitis Control Tool (ADCT), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales (HADS-A and HADS-D), Investigator Global Assessment (IGA), SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD), and Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM) from baseline to week 16; the proportion of patients achieving minimal disease activity (MDA) at week 16; and safety.

TAKEAWAY:

• At week 16, a significant improvement in EASI scores from baseline was observed (mean change, -15.8; P < .0001), leading to a reduction of 75.4% in disease severity; however, EASI head and neck scores led to a reduction of 57% in the disease severity of the head and neck region (mean change, -2.0; P < .0001).
• Health-related quality of life improved significantly with a reduction of 70% in DLQI scores at week 16, accompanied by decreased pruritus (mean change in itch-NRS scores, -4.6) and improved sleep quality (mean change in sleep-NRS scores, -4.1; P < .0001 for both). Patient-reported disease control improved from baseline to week 16 (reduction in ADCT scores, -10.9; P < .0001).
• Mental health improved with mean score changes of -6.5 for HADS-A (P < .0001) and -5.4 for HADS-D (P < .001) at week 16. A total of 85% of patients improved their IGA index; a mean SCORAD score reduction of 75% and a mean POEM reduction of 69% were seen at week 16.
• MDA was achieved by 14.6% of patients, and only 5.1% experienced treatment-related adverse events during the study period.

IN PRACTICE:

"This is one of the first real-world studies supporting the clinical effectiveness and safety of lebrikizumab in the treatment of moderate-to-severe AD [atopic dermatitis] in a predominantly adult white population, including patients with prior biologic/JAK inhibitors exposure," the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Gianluca Avallone and Andrea Bombelli, Dermatology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy. It was published online on October 10, 2025, in Dermatology and Therapy.

LIMITATIONS:

This study had a relatively small sample size despite its multicentre design, lacked a control group, and had a short treatment duration of 16 weeks. Due to its retrospective nature, patient-reported outcome measures were unavailable for some participants. Additionally, the predominant White population limited the generalisability of the findings to other ethnic groups.

DISCLOSURES:

Almirall S.p.A., Italy, sponsored the editorial assistance of the manuscript and rapid service fee. One author reported being an editorial board member of Dermatology and Therapy. Several authors reported being consultants and speakers and participating in advisory boards of AbbVie, Amgen, Almirall, Novartis, Johnson and Johnson, Eli Lilly, Sanofi, Pierre Fabre, BMS, Leo Pharma, UCB, Pfizer, and various other sources. 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.