The Real-World Impact of Ruxolitinib Cream for Patients With Atopic Dermatitis
The introduction of ruxolitinib cream for atopic dermatitis (AD) can potentially decrease the need for other treatments in patients with mild-to-moderate AD.
Treatment for AD involves multiple strategies, with topical therapies such as corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, and crisaborole commonly recommended as the primary option. Ruxolitinib cream, a topical JAK inhibitor approved for mild-to-moderate AD, has shown efficacy in reducing symptoms and improving quality of life in clinical trials; however, its real-world impact and role in the broader treatment landscape require further exploration.
This study utilized administrative claims data from the Healthcare Integrated Research Database (HIRD) to analyze patients with ruxolitinib cream prescriptions. The HIRD contains records from a national commercial payor with over 80 million members since 2006. Patient demographics in the 2020 HIRD population aligned with the 2020 US Census data in terms of age, sex, and geographic region. Patient selection criteria included individuals aged 12 and over who made their first pharmacy claim for ruxolitinib cream between October 2021 and July 2022. A baseline period of 6 months before the index date was defined, followed by a post-index date period of 6 months. The analysis included patients with a medical claim for AD and excluded those with vitiligo. A subset analysis focused on patients who had previously undergone advanced AD therapies.
The analysis included a total of 1581 patients with AD and a history of ruxolitinib cream use, with 749 patients having previously used more advanced AD therapies. Demographics showed that approximately 10% of patients were adolescents, with the majority identified as female. Conditions like allergic rhinitis, anxiety, and hypertension were common in both groups, with slightly higher prevalence in patients with more advanced therapy. The use of various AD treatments decreased after initiating ruxolitinib cream, leading to reductions in oral corticosteroid use by up to 49.4% in some patients. Most patients did not receive biologics during the follow-up period, indicating the potential effectiveness of ruxolitinib cream in controlling AD symptoms.
“These 6-month follow-up data suggest that initiating ruxolitinib cream for AD may reduce the overall need for other topical treatments, oral corticosteroids, and biologics,” researchers said.
Reference
Liu J, Desai K, Teng CC, et al. Atopic dermatitis treatments before and after initiation of ruxolitinib cream: 6-month follow-up analysis of a US payer claims database. Clinicoecons Outcomes Res. 2025;17:69–77. doi:10.2147/CEOR.S506043
