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Efficacy of tacrolimus 0.03% ointment as second-line treatment for children with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis |
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N. Doss, M.-R. Kamoun, L. Dubertret, F. Cambazard, A. Remitz, M.
Lahfa,
Y. de Prost. Efficacy of tacrolimus 0.03% ointment as second-line
treatment for children with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis:
evidence from a randomized, double-blind non-inferiority trial vs.
fluticasone 0.005% ointment.Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.2010. 21
:321 - 329
Tacrolimus 0.03% ointment is licensed for second-line treatment of
children with atopic dermatitis (AD). Although data are available from
clinical trials, no study has enrolled only second-line patients. This
double-blind, non-inferiority study compared tacrolimus 0.03% and
fluticasone 0.005% ointments in children with moderate-to-severe AD, who
had responded insufficiently to conventional therapies. Children (aged
2-15 yr) were randomized to tacrolimus ointment (n = 240) or fluticasone
ointment (n = 239), twice daily until clearance or for a maximum of 3
wk and, if lesions remained, once daily for up to 3 wk further. Primary
end-point was week 3 response rate (improvement of ≥60% in modified
Eczema Area and Severity Index and not withdrawn for lack of efficacy).
Secondary end-points included pruritus and sleep quality, global
assessment of clinical response, incidence of new flares and safety.
Response rates were 86.3% with tacrolimus ointment and 91.5% with
fluticasone. Lower limit of the 95% confidence interval was -11.8%,
exceeding the non-inferiority limit of -15% and meeting the primary
end-point. Moderate or better improvement on the physicians' global
assessment occurred in 93.6% and 92.4% of patients in the tacrolimus
ointment and fluticasone arms, respectively, while median pruritus
scores improved by 84.0% and 91.5%. Sleep quality improved by
approximately 92% in both treatment arms. After day 21, new flare-up
occurred in 5.5% and 11.3% of patients receiving tacrolimus ointment and
fluticasone, respectively; mean times to new flares were 6.5 ± 5.0 and
8.6 ± 5.2 days. Adverse events were similar between the two arms, with
the exception of application-site skin burning sensation in the
tacrolimus ointment group. In conclusion, efficacy of tacrolimus 0.03%
ointment as second-line treatment was not inferior to that of
fluticasone 0.005% ointment, with similar benefits on global disease
improvement and quality of sleep.
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