Review of Tralokinumab in the Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis

Annals of Pharmacotherapy, Ahead of Print.
ObjectiveTo review pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and safety of tralokinumab in treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD).Data SourcesLiterature review was conducted using MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, and ClinicalTrials.gov for articles published between January 2010 and May 2022.Study selection and data extractionArticles in English discussing tralokinumab in AD were included.Data synthesisIn one phase 2 trial, more subjects treated with tralokinumab 150 and 300 mg achieved an Investigator’s Global Assessment (IGA) of 0/1 with minimum ≥2 point IGA reduction (23%), versus placebo (11.8%, P = 0.10). During 2 phase 3 trials, more subjects treated with tralokinumab achieved IGA success (ECZTRA 1: 15.8% and ECZTRA 2: 22.2%), versus placebo (7.1% and 10.9%, respectively; P = 0.002 and P < 0.001). During one phase 3 trial, in conjunction with topical corticosteroids (TCS), more subjects treated with tralokinumab 300 mg achieved IGA success (ECZTRA 3: 38.9%), versus placebo (26.2%, P = 0.015). During another phase 3 trial in subjects with resistance or contraindication to oral cyclosporine, more subjects treated with tralokinumab 300 mg achieved an Eczema Area Severity Index 75 (64.2%), versus placebo (50.5%, P = 0.018).Relevance to patient care and clinical practiceTralokinumab is efficacious for moderate-to-severe AD, as monotherapy, in conjunction with TCS, and resistance or contraindication to cyclosporine. Although IL-4 and IL-13 are both implicated in AD’s pathogenesis, IL-13 is overexpressed, and head-to-head trials are needed to assess efficacy of tralokinumab, versus dupilumab. Compared with upadacitinib and abrocitinib, tralokinumab is not associated with black-box warnings.ConclusionsTralokinumab is an efficacious and safe systemic treatment for moderate-to-severe AD.