For patients with skin of color and atopic dermatitis (AD), lebrikizumab is efficacious and safe, according to a study published online July 15 in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology.

Andrew Alexis, M.D., M.P.H., from Weill Cornell Medicine at Cornell University in New York City, and colleagues conducted an open-label trial involving 90 adults and adolescents with moderate-to-severe AD, Fitzpatrick skin phototype IV to VI, and self-reported race other than white.

Participants received 250 mg of lebrikizumab subcutaneously every two weeks for 16 weeks. Responders, defined as patients with at least 75% improvement in the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI 75) and/or Investigator’s Global Assessment (IGA) score of 0/1 with at least a 2-point improvement from baseline, received lebrikizumab every four weeks from weeks 16 to 24, while those with inadequate response continued receiving lebrikizumab every two weeks.

The researchers found that EASI 75, EASI 90, and IGA 0/1 were achieved by 69.2%, 44.9%, and 44.9% of patients, respectively, at week 16; 58.1% of patients reported a ≥4-point improvement for the Pruritus Numeric Rating Scale. At week 24, 78.4%, 47.3%, and 54.1% of patients, respectively, achieved EASI 75, EASI 90, and IGA 0/1 in the pooled treatment arms.

Overall, 62.9%, 88.2%, and 95.5% of patients with Fitzpatrick skin phototype IV, V, and VI, respectively, achieved EASI 75 at week 24. Reduced hyperpigmentation was seen at week 24 for 64.4% of patients with baseline PDCA-Derm-assessed hyperpigmented areas.

“Lebrikizumab treatment was associated with improvements in postinflammatory hyperpigmentation and quality of life, with over half of patients reporting being mostly or completely satisfied with their treatment,” the authors write.

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