Abrocitinib Advantages Among Patients with Atopic Dermatitis, with Leon H. Kircik, MD

Over the course of his talk ‘Janus Kinase (JAK) Inhibitors in Atopic Dermatitis Management’ at the 2025 Revolutionizing Atopic Dermatitis (RAD) Meeting in Nashville, Leon H. Kircik, MD, highlighted a variety of useful pieces of information related to the use of Janus-Kinase (JAK) inhibitors such as abrocitinib.

Kircik, who is known for his work as medical director at Skin Sciences, PLLC, in Louisville, Kentucky, was previously asked about the clinical advantages of JAK inhibitors in atopic dermatitis. In this interview segment with HCPLive, he was asked about abrocitinib’s use among patients with the skin disease.

“I will be discussing abrocitinib, and I believe [Andrew F. Alexis, MD, MPH] is going to be discussing upacitinib,” Kircik said. “I was an investigator for abrocitinib in an atopic dermatitis study…It is approved for atopic dermatitis, and they are approved for 12 years of age and above we studied the drug both in 200 milligrams and 100 milligrams. Certainly, 200 milligrams is more effective than 100 milligrams. Across the world, except the United States, the approval said that you start with 100 milligrams and then, if you don't see efficacy, you can go up to 200 milligram after 12 weeks.”

Kircik expressed that he believed the most important label change happened recently regarding abrocitinib for atopic dermatitis.

“Now, they removed that 12 weeks [requirement] and you can actually go up to 200 milligrams the next day if the treating healthcare provider thinks it would be appropriate,” Kircik explained. “So I think that's a big advantage. Now we have much more flexibility with abrocitinib, and I think that's going to be a very important change in the label and give us more flexibility.”

Kircik was later asked why this shift could be viewed as helpful for patients and healthcare providers in terms of atopic dermatitis management.

“Abrocitinib works really fast, especially when it comes to itch,” Kircik said. “When I give a sample to the patient, they call me before they get to the car [saying] ‘What was this that you gave me? My itch is almost gone!’ Unfortunately, the reverse side of it is that, when you stop the treatment, just like any other JAK inhibitor, the half-life is so short with this drug that the symptoms do come back quite fast, unlike the biologics. So you can see that as the advantage or the disadvantage of the JAK inhibitors versus the biologics.”

To learn more about this information and related subjects on recent approvals for atopic dermatitis, view the latest conference coverage.

The quotes used in this interview summary were edited for the purposes of clarity.