Efficacy and safety of ruxolitinib cream for the treatment of moderate to severe chronic hand eczema: Results from a 16-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind study
Recommended Citation
Zirwas M, Fowler JF, Jr., Tsianakas A, Devani AR, Halden P, Lai Z, Kuo Y, Nawaz H, and Stein Gold LF. Efficacy and Safety of Ruxolitinib Cream for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Chronic Hand Eczema: Results From a 16-Week, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind Study. J Am Acad Dermatol 2025.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-30-2025
Publication Title
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Chronic hand eczema (CHE) is a well-recognized inflammatory disorder.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of 1.5% ruxolitinib cream in adults with moderate to severe CHE.
METHODS: This phase 2 study enrolled adults with CHE from North America and Europe, an Investigator's Global Assessment-CHE score of 3/4, ≥1 prior CHE therapy, and no current or recent history (≤5 y) of atopic dermatitis. Patients were randomized 1:1 to twice-daily 1.5% ruxolitinib cream or vehicle cream for 16 weeks.
RESULTS: Among 186 randomized patients, most who applied ruxolitinib cream achieved a score of 0 (clear) or 1 (almost clear) on the Investigator's Global Assessment-CHE scale with a 2-grade improvement from baseline at Week 16 (53.2% vs 10.9% [vehicle]; P < .0001; primary endpoint). Itch improvements (≥4-point improvement in numerical rating scale) were reported on Day 2 (9.1% vs 2.4%) and reached statistical significance on Day 7 (27.4% vs 9.0%; P = .0024). Improvements in skin pain and quality of life were reported during the study. Ruxolitinib cream was well tolerated, with no new safety signals and few (3.2%) application site reactions.
LIMITATIONS: Relatively small sample size.
CONCLUSION: Ruxolitinib cream represents an effective treatment option for nonatopic CHE subtypes that are not controlled with standard therapies.
PubMed ID
40889714
ePublication
ePub ahead of print
