Delgocitinib in atopic dermatitis

Delgocitinib ointment is a newly approved topical medication for the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD). AD usually has onset in early childhood and is a common, often chronic relapsing inflammatory skin condition that affects all age groups. AD has a large impact on patients' quality of life including physical health and emotional impacts. Conventional management of AD consists of phototherapy and treatments that comprise corticosteroids (both topically and systemically), topical calcineurin inhibitors (tacrolimus and pimecrolimus) or systemic immunosuppressants like ciclosporin. New targeted therapies for AD, including interleukin (IL)-4/13 inhibitors, Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors and IL-13 inhibitors have been introduced for both topical and systemic use. In this review, we give an overview of the use of delgocitinib, the first topical JAK inhibitor to be approved for AD, including its preclinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and metabolism, safety, existing clinical trials and future directions.