Targeted Systemic Therapies for Atopic Dermatitis in Australia: A Narrative Review

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory skin disease estimated to affect approximately 30% of children and 10%-15% of adults in Australia. Of those with this condition, one in five is estimated to have moderate-to-severe disease. Treatment guidelines for patients with moderate-to-severe AD recommend adding or switching to a targeted systemic medication if the disease is not well controlled with topical treatment. Without access to these medications, healthcare providers are limited in their ability to effectively treat moderate-to-severe AD. Availability of these guideline-recommended targeted systemic agents varies across the globe because of differences in both approval and reimbursement decisions. Patients in Australia should have funded or subsidised access to these highly effective, well-tolerated medications for moderate-to-severe AD. To highlight the importance of this, and to better understand potential barriers to such access in Australia, we conducted a narrative review of health technology assessment processes and the availability of funded/subsidised targeted systemic therapies for moderate-to-severe AD in patients aged ≥ 12 years in Australia and in countries with comparable healthcare systems, such as the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and France. To provide context for this, we summarised current international guideline-recommended treatment for moderate-to-severe AD and considered healthcare resource utilisation in moderate-to-severe AD, both in Australia and internationally. In Australia, patients only have access to a limited selection of medicines launched globally. This suggests that national healthcare systems should consider updating health technology assessment procedures to better align with the current targeted high-cost therapeutics environment.