Efficacy of Crisaborole Maintenance Therapy in Asian Children with Atopic Dermatitis

Background/Objective: The proactive approach to managing atopic dermatitis (AD) is effective in prolonging disease remission by reducing subclinical inflammation. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of crisaborole ointment as maintenance therapy in reducing the incidence of flares in a mostly Asian population between the ages of 3 months to 16 years old with varying AD severities. Methodology: This was a retrospective observational study of pediatric patients with mild, moderate, and severe AD who had suffered from flares at least once every 1–2 weeks between August 1, 2023 and July 31, 2024. They received once daily crisaborole ointment application on sites where AD flares tended to recur (hotspots) for a month. The outcome measure was the presence of any flare on the hotspots based on patient or caregiver response during the month of crisaborole maintenance therapy. Results: Out of 254 patients, crisaborole application prevents flares more effectively in patients with mild AD (71.4%) compared to those with moderate (44.9%) or severe AD (37.8%) ( p < 0.01) [Table 1]. About 43.7% of patients relapsed at least once during the month of observation. Eighteen patients were excluded from the study because of intolerance to a stinging sensation upon application of crisaborole ointment. There was no significant side effect reported other than a tolerable stinging sensation in 10 patients. Conclusion: Proactive crisaborole treatment can prevent AD flares and spare the need for application of a topical corticosteroid or calcineurin inhibitor mainly in patients with mild AD. It is safe with minimal side effects aside from application-site discomfort. The protective effect is modest for patients with moderate to severe AD.