Delgocitinib cream effective in managing chronic hand dermatitis symptoms, finds research

A new study by Robert Bissonnette and team found that delgocitinib cream may be used as a monotherapy or adjunct to control the chronic hand dermatitis of a patient when topical corticosteroids fail. Chronic hand eczema is characterized by fluctuations, inflammation, pruritus, and discomfort. It significantly affects the quality of life and ability of the patients to do their jobs. In order to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of twice-daily administrations of the topical pan-Janus kinase inhibitor delgocitinib cream 20 mg/g against cream vehicle in people with moderate to severe chronic hand eczema, phase 3 DELTA 1 and DELTA 2 were carried out in this study.

DELTA 1 was carried out in 53 trial centers in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and the UK, while DELTA 2 was carried out at 50 trial centers in Belgium, Denmark, Canada, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and Spain. For 16 weeks, a randomization process was used to allocate adults with moderate to severe chronic hand eczema to either a cream carrier or a twice-daily delgocitinib cream (20 mg/g). The Global Assessment for Chronic Hand Eczema (IGA-CHE) treatment success at week 16 was the main outcome measure. A score of 0 (clear) or 1 (nearly clear), which is defined as hardly visible erythema, indicated treatment success. Every patient who received experimental therapy had their efficacy and safety evaluated.

A total of 487 patients were enrolled in DELTA 1 from May 10, 2021 to October 31, 2022 and a total of 473 patients were enrolled in DELTA 2 between May 25, 2021 and January 6, 2023. Delgocitinib cream was given to 325 patients in DELTA 1 and 314 patients in DELTA 2, whereas cream vehicles were given to 162 patients in DELTA 1 and 159 patients in DELTA 2. 

IGA-CHE treatment success was seen in a higher percentage of patients treated with delgocitinib at week 16 when compared to the individuals who were receiving cream vehicles. Delgocitinib and the cream vehicle had comparable patient reporting rates for adverse events. The most common adverse effects in both therapy groups that affected at least 2% of patients were COVID-19 and nasopharyngitis. Overall, over a 16-week period, delgocitinib cream was well tolerated and had greater effectiveness when compared to cream vehicles.

Source:

Bissonnette, R., Warren, R. B., Pinter, A., Agner, T., Gooderham, M., Schuttelaar, M. L. A., Crépy, M.-N., Stingeni, L., Serra-Baldrich, E., Baranowski, K., Korn, S., Kurvits, M., Plohberger, U., Strange Vest, N., Schliemann, S., Lynde, C., Guenther, L., Sauder, M., Bissonnette, R., … Fernández-Orland, A. (2024). Efficacy and safety of delgocitinib cream in adults with moderate to severe chronic hand eczema (DELTA 1 and DELTA 2): results from multicentre, randomised, controlled, double-blind, phase 3 trials. In The Lancet (Vol. 404, Issue 10451, pp. 461–473). Elsevier BV. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(24)01027-4