Thursday 15 September 2022 11:41 PM Injections can reduce skin rashes and itches from severe eczema in children ... trends now
Millions of babies, toddlers and preschoolers with severe eczema could sleep through the night and see their skin rashes ease thanks to a monthly injection, a study has found.
Scientists at Northwestern University in Illinois, found the monoclonal antibody Dupilumab — sold under the brand name Dupixent — cut eczema symptoms by at least 75 percent in half of children aged six months to five years treated.
The medication — which works by calming the immune system — was administered once a month over 16 weeks in the study, which included 162 preschoolers.
This stage III trial was behind the approval of the $2,000-per-month treatment by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June this year. It was given the green-light for older age groups late last year.
Experts today heralded the treatment as a 'milestone' for those who have tried standard treatments without success. Dr Peter Lio, an eczema expert at the National Eczema Association, told DailyMail.com: 'I don't think I've ever heard so many patients expressing gratitude about a medication.'
The above graph shows the proportion of children who were rated as almost clear of eczema (Y axiz, proportion of patients with IGA 0 - 1) during the trial. It reveals that by the end 30 percent of those who got the treatment (red) had seen their eczema ease, but just five percent of those in the placebo group (blue) had also seen this
Treatment for more serious cases of eczema — where the skin is dry, cracked, itchy, red and inflamed across large areas of the body — typically focuses on steroids that work by suppressing the immune system.
But many doctors are not keen to prescribe them because of the risk of side-effects including bruising more easily, acne and purpura — or the bursting of small blood vessels creating purple spots on the skin.
This new study, however — published in prestigious medical journal The Lancet —has led to the injection being approved as an alternative treatment for the condition.
