• In recent years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved new treatment options for eczema.
• These new therapies have been studied in clinical trials to show that these treatments are safe and effective.
• Most new treatments work by targeting different parts of the immune system to control skin inflammation caused by eczema.

As doctors and researchers have learned more about the immune system and eczema, they’ve continued to develop new ways to treat it. All new therapies go through clinical trials — large studies with hundreds to thousands of participants with eczema.

Clinical trials help researchers learn whether a new treatment is safe and effective.¹ These studies also help researchers learn about a treatment’s side effects and monitor any serious ones (known as adverse events). Most studies compare a new treatment to either placebo (an inactive treatment) or an already-approved therapy.¹

Eczema Clinical Trials and New Treatment Advances

Eczema is an inflammatory skin disease believed to be caused by an overactive immune system.² The most common type of eczema is atopic dermatitis.² Many new treatments for this disease reduce the activity of different parts of the immune system. As a result, these therapies help dampen inflammation and control troublesome atopic dermatitis symptoms such as scaling, rashes, and dry, itchy skin.

When reading about clinical trials for eczema, it’s important to understand the way investigators measure how well a treatment works. Many studies use the Eczema Area Severity Index (EASI) or SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) to score a person’s eczema symptoms and measure how much skin is affected.^3,4 Researchers use these tools to measure eczema severity before and after treatment. It helps them understand if a treatment worked.^3,4

In the list below, we’ll discuss several major treatment areas that have advanced in recent years, thanks to eczema clinical trials. These treatments have helped improve the quality of life of people living with eczema and atopic dermatitis.

1. Biologics

Biologics are laboratory-made proteins that help treat many types of inflammatory diseases.⁵ These drugs are designed to target a specific part of the immune system to block inflammation. Biologics that are used to treat atopic dermatitis block the effects of specialized proteins involved in inflammation known as interleukins.⁵

Two biologics have been approved by the FDA for treating atopic dermatitis — dupilumab and tralokinumab-ldrm. Both therapies may be used alone (known as monotherapy) or with topical corticosteroids to help control skin inflammation.

Results of clinical trials showed that these biologic drugs helped improve participants’ EASI scores compared with placebos.^6,7 Thanks to this research, several biologic drugs are approved for treating moderate to severe atopic dermatitis in people whose symptoms aren’t well controlled with topical treatments. One drug is approved for adults 18 and older, and another is approved for infants, children, teenagers, and adults.^8,9

Researchers continue to study how biologics could offer relief for people living with eczema or atopic dermatitis, including how the drugs may work in specific age groups like pediatrics.

2. JAK Inhibitors

Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are newer medications that also target specific parts of the immune system. They work by blocking the activity of JAK enzymes on your immune cells.¹⁰ JAK enzymes respond to cytokines (molecules that may contain interleukins), which starts a process that results in inflammation. By inhibiting or dampening the activity of JAK enzymes, JAK inhibitors help reduce inflammation. The FDA has approved JAK inhibitors both as oral drugs that are taken as pills and as topical therapies that are applied to affected skin.¹⁰

Two JAK inhibitors were approved by the FDA in 2022 for atopic dermatitis — upadacitinib and abrocitinib. These are oral medications that you take by mouth daily.^11,12 Another JAK inhibitor, ruxolitinib, was approved in 2021. It’s a cream that you rub on affected areas of skin.¹³

As with biologics, clinical trials have helped examine whether JAK inhibitors could improve eczema symptoms compared with placebos.^14-16 JAK inhibitors offer another way of treating eczema, serving as an option for adults, teenagers, and children ages 12 and older with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis whose symptoms haven’t improved with other treatments.

Doctors and researchers are also studying the new JAK inhibitors for atopic dermatitis. One medication, baricitinib, is currently being studied in clinical trials. It hasn’t been approved by the FDA yet, but the findings from the studies are promising.¹⁷

3. Allergen Immunotherapy

Eczema can affect more than your skin barrier — many children and adults with eczema also have seasonal or food allergies.¹⁸ In fact, children and adults with atopic dermatitis are at an increased risk of having allergies compared with people who don’t have atopic dermatitis.¹⁸ Some doctors and researchers believe that controlling allergy symptoms may help in the treatment of atopic dermatitis symptoms.¹⁹

Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is being explored as a treatment option for eczema symptoms. AIT is a treatment used for seasonal or environmental allergies. It helps “train” your immune system to become less sensitive to an allergen, or a substance you’re allergic to. Common allergens include dust, dust mites, and pollen.²⁰

Two types of AIT are²⁰:

• Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) — Uses an allergen tablet or drops that dissolve under your tongue
• Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) — Also known as allergy shots, involves injecting an allergen just underneath your skin

One recent meta-analysis of 23 clinical trials found that SCIT and SLIT helped improve SCORAD scores and atopic dermatitis symptoms. Specifically, AIT for dust mites may be the most helpful.¹⁹

New Therapies Currently in Clinical Trials

Several clinical trials are studying new eczema treatments. Many of these therapies belong to drug classes that have been previously approved by the FDA. Doctors and researchers are hopeful that these new treatments are at least as effective as approved therapies. Here we share an overview of treatments currently being evaluated.

Investigational Biologics

Several new biologic drugs are undergoing clinical trials for atopic dermatitis. Two of these drugs work by blocking individual interleukin receptors on your cells to help prevent skin inflammation.^21,22 Another biologic drug blocks two different interleukin receptors at the same time. Clinical trials are investigating how this mechanism may affect eczema symptoms.²³

These drugs are being studied for their effectiveness in treating moderate to severe atopic dermatitis and to see if they work better than placebo. Clinical trials are also investigating which age groups the drugs may be safe for.

Another biologic being studied in clinical trials for atopic dermatitis works a little differently. It blocks OX40, a molecule found on the outside of a certain type of immune cells.²⁴ People with atopic dermatitis have a surplus of immune cells with OX40 on their surface, so it’s thought that blocking this molecule may help treat skin inflammation.²⁴ Results of a phase 2B clinical trial found that the drug significantly improved atopic dermatitis symptoms in adults.²⁵

Investigational JAK Inhibitors

Other topical JAK inhibitors are being studied to treat atopic dermatitis.²⁶ The results of a phase 2B study found that treatment once or twice a day with a new topical JAK inhibitor helped improve mild to moderate atopic dermatitis symptoms.²⁶

These investigational drugs aren’t approved by the FDA yet, but the results of their clinical trials are promising. More research is needed before these therapies become widely available.

If you’re interested in learning more about new investigational therapies or if you’d like to potentially join a clinical trial, talk with your health care provider or dermatologist.