Bullous Pemphygoid and Novel Therapeutic Approaches

Bullous pemphigoid is a subepidermal blistering disease associated with autoantibodies (auto-ab) to BP180 and BP230 which affects elderly patients, predominately. Although it is a rare disease, bullous pemphigoid is the most common among the autoimmune bullous skin diseases. Systemic corticosteroids and immunosuppressants represent milestones in the treatment of patients suffering from bullous pemphigoid; however, therapeutic management of patients still represents a clinical challenge, owing to the chronic nature of the disease and to potential adverse effects related to the long-term use of systemic treatments. Recent discoveries on the pathogenesis of bullous pemphigoid have allowed investigation of new target therapies against selective pro-inflammatory mediators. These therapies appear to yield satisfactory results with fewer side effects in cases of refractory disease. The review discusses current evidence on these new therapeutic targets and specific drugs under investigation.