Severe atopic dermatitis treated with everolimus.

BACKGROUND: Patients with severe atopic dermatitis (AD) often require treatment with oral immunosuppressive drugs. Everolimus is a rapamycin-derived macrolide with immunosuppressive and antiproliferative effects. Everolimus demonstrated efficacy not only in the prophylaxis of organ rejection in kidney transplant patients, but also in decreasing disease activity in psoriasis patients.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether everolimus is an effective treatment in patients with severe AD.

METHODS: Two patients with severe AD were treated with everolimus in combination with low-dose cyclosporin A (CsA) or prednisone. During treatment, a disease activity and safety laboratory examination was performed.

RESULTS: Everolimus either in combination with prednisone or with CsA did not result in improvement of disease activity in two patients with severe AD.

CONCLUSION: Everolimus does not seem to be an effective treatment in these two AD patients, either in combination with prednisone or with CsA.