Upadacitinib exhibits Efficacy and High Retention in Atopic Dermatitis Treatment, reveals study

The main outcome was treatment persistence, defined as the time from upadacitinib initiation until discontinuation, switch to a different biologic, or death. Reasons for discontinuation were closely recorded, including factors such as side effects, infections, practical barriers, failure to respond, or secondary loss of response.

Key Findings

• The results of the study showed excellent treatment retention with upadacitinib in clinical practice:

• 90.5% of the patients were still on upadacitinib at week 4, reflecting a very high short-term rate of medication continuation.

• Discontinuations were due to many reasons, such as adverse events, infections, loss of efficacy, and logistical issues.

• 50% of 14 patients who had switched from dupilumab to upadacitinib reported loss of efficacy as the primary reason for switching, and 28.6% switched because dupilumab was completely not effective.

• The research established that loss of treatment effect was most commonly identified by patients and corroborated by dermatologists with clinical indicators like increasing EASI scores.

• Patient variables at baseline were the variables like comorbid asthma, history of smoking, and previous use of biologics, but none of these had a strong influence on persistence rates in the short term.

This real-world analysis in Australia showed that upadacitinib has high treatment retention rates among moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis patients, 90.5% at 4 weeks. Loss of efficacy was the most common reason for discontinuation, especially among dupilumab-pretreated patients. The results are helpful for clinicians selecting biologic therapies and support the practical, long-lasting place for upadacitinib in the treatment of atopic dermatitis.

Reference:

Abu-Ghazaleh, N., Ross, G. and Morgan, V. (2025), Upadacitinib Drug Survival in the Management of Patients With Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis: Real-Time Data From the Biogrid Database Registry. Australas J Dermatol. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajd.14469.