Tacrolimus Comes Out on Top for Treating Atopy :

NEW YORK —Tacrolimus ointment is more effective than pimecrolimus cream in treating adults with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, results from a randomized, blinded, multicenter trial indicate.
A total of 281 study patients were randomly assigned to receive tacrolimus 0.1% ointment or pimecrolimus 1% cream (141 and 140 patients, respectively),
In both groups, patients applied the medication twice daily for up to 6 weeks, until the disease cleared.
The improvement in mean itch rating via the visual analog scale was more favorable for tacrolimus but did not reach significance. Both groups began with a mean score of 6.7. In the tacrolimus group, it fell to 3.2 by week 6, and in the pimecrolimus group, it dropped to 3.8. Adverse events occurring in both groups included application-site burning and application-site pruritus. The pimecrolimus group alone had one report each of skin infection, impetigo, infected dermatitis, and herpes simplex.

(Source: John R. Bell, Skin & Allergy News, V.38, I.10)

Galectin-3 Deficient Mice Exhibit Decreased Atopic Dermatitis:

Researchers at the University of California, Davis have discovered that inhibition of galectin-3 activity is useful for treatment of inflammatory conditions such as atopic dermatitis. Atopic dermatitis is a common chronic skin disease for which new effective treatment methods are highly desirable. Furthermore, UC Davis researchers have developed a new mouse model of atopic dermatitis useful for development of therapies for this disease. Mice deficient in galectin-3 developed less severe dermatitis. The results suggest that galectin-3 plays an important role in the development of atopic dermatitis and may be a therapeutic target for this disease.

(Source: U.C. Davis InnovationAccess )