Calcineurin inhibitors

Abstract

The topical calcineurin inhibitors-tacrolimus ointment 0.1 and 0.03% (FK 506, Protopic®, Astellas) and pime-crolimus cream 1% (SDZ ASM 981, Elidel®, Novartis)-have been specifically developed for the treatment of inflammatory skin diseases, and approved for the short-term and intermittent long-term treatment of atopic dermatitis in several countries (including the United States of America and European Union nations) [12, 19, 28, 32, 34, 38]. In contrast to topical steroid, they do not have the risk of local side effects, such as skin atrophy, telangiectasia, and glaucoma after prolonged use. Therefore, they are preferentially used in areas more susceptible to these side effects, such as head and neck region, flexures and genital area [23, 35]. Furthermore, because of the limited percutaneous penetration, signifi-cant systemic absorption has not been reported following normal use [1]. However, they are currently much more expensive than topical steroids. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.