To treat eczema, it would be possible to use a drug usually prescribed to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
Researchers at Yales University (USA) carried out a study to understand whether tofacitinib citrate (Xeljanz), a drug marketed in the United States to treat rheumatoid arthritis, could inhibit the immune response to origin of eczema.
They carried out a clinical trial with this treatment on 6 patients for whom conventional treatments had failed.
The conclusions of their trial showed a decrease in the surface area of the body affected by dermatitis and a decrease in edema as well as an improvement in the quality of sleep. The researchers found no adverse effects.
“Patients were delighted with the results of the treatment and also expressed a feeling of being good about themselves for the first time in a long time,” reports Professor Brett King, author of the study.
The small study sample calls for new clinical trials, especially since in 2013 the European Medicines Agency issued a negative opinion on the use of tofacitinib citrate to treat eczema.
Eczema a debilitating disease
Eczema is the most common skin disease. There are two main types of eczema: atopic eczema (general) and contact eczema (localized). If eczema is a dermatological disease, it also has consequences on the health and well-being of patients and would encourage risky practices such as smoking, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity and sleep disorders.
If today, conventional treatments exist, they do not manage to completely relieve the patients. Topical corticosteroids, cortisone-based creams, help relieve acute attacks. Antihistamines are prescribed to relieve patients with contact eczema.
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