Atopic Dermatitis and Pruritus Management Updates for 2026, With Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD

Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, clinical associate professor of medicine at Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School, spoke in an interview with the HCPLive editorial team at the 2026 Maui Derm Hawaii conference regarding his session he had presented at the meeting.1

Chovaitya was interviewed by HCPLive regarding several key takeaways from his portion of the session titled ‘Atopic Dermatitis and Pruritus: Current Concepts and Therapeutics for 2026.’ The talk focused on ways newer monoclonal antibodies, oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, and topical non-steroidal therapies are fitting into atopic dermatitis care.2 He was also asked how he personally thinks about positioning these options in real-world practice.

“I think that the new interventions and new approaches in the last handful of years are really the backbone of this in my practice,” Chovatiya said. “...Topical corticosteroids and even topical calcineurin inhibitors are really just a bridge to get me to the therapies I want to now, as opposed to being the place where I just had to wait because I really didn't want to go to broader acting immunosuppressive medications.”

In his interview, Chovatiya noted every patient can receive more highly targeted therapy options. He highlighted what he describes as the bevy of non-steroidal topical options approved in the last few years, pointing to tapinarof, ruxolitinib, and roflumilast. He also pointed to oral medications such as abrocitinib and upadacitinib. Additionally, Chovatiya highlighted biologics such as dupilumab, tralokinumab, lebrikizumab, and nemolizumab.

In the case of chronic hand eczema (CHE), topical delbocitinib is a treatment described by Chovatiya as another helpful addition to the atopic dermatitis armamentarium.

For any additional information on new options for patients in the atopic dermatitis space, view Chovatiya’s full interview above. To find out more from Maui Derm, view the latest conference coverage.

The quotes used in this summary were edited for clarity.

Chovatiya previously reported serving as an advisor, consultant, speaker, and/or investigator for AbbVie, Amgen, Apogee Therapeutics, Arcutis, Argenx, ASLAN Pharmaceuticals, Beiersdorf, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Cara Therapeutics, Dermavant, Eli Lilly and Company, FIDE, Formation Bio, Galderma, Genentech, GSK, Incyte, LEO Pharma, L’Oréal, Nektar Therapeutics, Novartis, Opsidio, Pfizer Inc., Regeneron, RAPT, Sanofi, Sitryx, and UCB.

References

1. Silverberg J, Chovatiya R, Eichenfield L. Atopic Dermatitis and Pruritus: Current Concepts and Therapeutics for 2026. Presented at the 2026 Maui Derm Hawaii Conference, January 25-29.

2. Honda T. A new era in atopic dermatitis treatment and evolving therapeutic strategies. Immunol Med. 2025 Sep 30:1-13. doi: 10.1080/25785826.2025.2567133. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41025643.