Recommendations when switching therapy from immunosuppressive drugs to dupilumab in patients with atopic dermatitis

Abstract

Based on new insights into the molecular pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis, a targeted anti-inflammatory therapy—dupilumab—has recently been approved as treatment alongside glucocorticoids and ciclosporin. Due to their pharmacology, neither glucocorticoids nor ciclosporin nor the off label used substances methotrexate, azathioprine and mycophenolic acid derivatives are suitable for long-term therapy. When switching therapy from small molecular substances to dupilumab, various factors should be considered. Both the specific cause of the change (ineffectiveness, adverse effects or contraindications) as well as the pharmacological conditions should be taken into account. Since there have been no specific clinical studies on this subject so far, the authors relied mainly on a literature search to draw up recommendations for practical everyday use.