early relief of pruritus in atopic dermatitis with crisaborole ointment, a non-steroidal, phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor

Pruritus occurs in all patients with atopic dermatitis and requires quick relief to reduce disease exacerbation and improve quality of life. Crisaborole ointment is a non-steroidal phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor for the treatment of mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis. This post hoc analysis explores crisaborole ointment for early relief of pruritus in patients with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis from 2 phase III studies. Patients received crisaborole or vehicle twice daily for 28 days. Pruritus was graded on a 4-point scale of none (0) to severe (3). Early improvement in pruritus required a score of none (0) or mild (1), with a ≥ 1-grade improvement from baseline on day 6. Significantly more patients experienced early improvement in pruritus with crisaborole than with vehicle (56.6% vs 39.5%; p <0.001), including at earliest assessment (day 2, 34.3% vs 27.3%; p = 0.013). Crisaborole is a topical treatment option that can rapidly relieve atopic dermatitis-associated pruritus.