Efficacy and safety of abrocitinib for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

Background Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory skin disorder. Though corticosteroids are the cornerstone of therapy, the Janus kinase inhibitor abrocitinib has shown promise in recent clinical trials for the treatment of AD. Objective To assess the overall efficacy and safety of abrocitinib in moderate to severe AD. Methods All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the efficacy and safety of abrocitinib in moderate to severe AD were included in the meta-analysis. Results The pooled analysis revealed a significant proportion of patients achieving Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) response (RR = 3.52, 95% CI; 2.78-4.46, p < .00001), Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) response (RR = 3.35, 95% CI; 2.54-4.41, p < .00001), and Peak Pruritus Numerical Rating Score (PP-NRS) response (RR = 2.54,95% CI; 1.95-3.30, p < .00001) in abrocitinib arm compared to the placebo arm. Moreover, the pooled analysis also suggested that treatment-emergent adverse events (TAEs) were relatively higher with abrocitinib than placebo (R.R. = 1.17; 95% CI; 1.06-1.29, p = .002). Conclusions This meta-analysis showed that abrocitinib had a significant beneficial effect and tolerable adverse effect profile in patients of AD. Dose regimens of 200 and 100 mg seemed to have similar benefits. However, long-term trials are needed for corroboration.