Long-term use of nemolizumab results in improvement in pruritus, atopic dermatitis (AD), and quality of life among patients with AD and moderate-to-severe pruritus, according to a study published online Nov. 2 in the British Journal of Dermatology .

Kenji Kabashima, M.D., Ph.D., from Kyoto University in Japan, and colleagues examined the long-term effectiveness and safety of nemolizumab in patients aged 13 years and older with AD and moderate-to-severe pruritus. Nemolizumab 60 mg was administered subcutaneously, concomitantly with topical treatments, in two long-term phase III studies. In Study-JP01, patients received nemolizumab or placebo for 16 weeks, and then all patients received nemolizumab in a 52-week extension period (nemolizumab/nemolizumab: 143 patients; placebo/nemolizumab: 72 patients). In Study-JP02, 88 patients received 52 weeks of nemolizumab. In both studies, there was an eight-week follow-up period.

The researchers observed clinically meaningful improvements from the start of treatment to week 68 in the pruritus visual analogue scale (66 percent decrease) and Eczema Area and Severity Index (78 percent decrease) in the nemolizumab/nemolizumab group. After the first nemolizumab dose, quality-of-life indicators improved. The long-term safety profile was consistent with earlier studies; no unexpected late-onset adverse events were observed.

"These beneficial and durable effects were likely due to interruption of the itch-scratch cycle, and were maintained for 12 weeks after the last administration," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry; nemolizumab and placebo were provided by the product manufacturer, Chugai Pharmaceutical.

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