A new non-steroidal ointment, meant to treat mild to moderate eczema in adults and children 2 years of age and older, is now available by doctor’s prescription in the United States.
The pharmaceutical company Pfizer received the FDA’s permission to market the non-steroidal ointment, called Eucrisa (crisaborole) in December.
“The approval of Eucrisa is great news for the children and adults suffering from mild to moderate eczema, a community that has not had a new prescription treatment for more than 10 years,” said Albert Bourla, group president of Pfizer Innovative Health.
Researchers examined both the safety and effectiveness of the non-steroidal ointment in two placebo-controlled trials with a total of 1,522 participants where they had them apply the anti-inflammatory lotion twice a day.
The data gathered by researchers showed that Eucrisa was an effective treatment in most patients. In just under a month, about 50 per cent of trial participants using the non-steroidal ointment reported that their eczema had cleared.
While side effects were infrequent in the studies, researchers say that a serious side effect of Eucrisa included “hypersensitivity reaction.” They recommend that patients who have a reaction to the drug’s active ingredient, crisaborole, should not use it.
Read more here.
More on this and other eczema drug treatments in the Spring 2017 edition of Allergic Living.