INDIVIDUAL ARTICLE: Appraisal of Ruxolitinib 1.5% Cream as a First-Line Topical Therapeutic Agent for Adolescents and Adults With Mild-to-Moderate Atopic Dermatitis.

Abstract

Dermatology has entered the long-awaited paradigm shift from steroidal to non-steroidal therapeutics for the topical treatment of atopic dermatitis. Topical Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors have garnered a strong recommendation for the treatment of adult atopic dermatitis (AD) by the American Academy of Dermatology in the most recent updated guidelines as of 2023. Ruxolitinib 1.5% cream is the only FDA-approved topical JAK inhibitor available in the US and is approved for the short-term and intermittent chronic treatment of mild-to-moderate AD in adolescents and adults aged >= 12 years with up to 20% affected body surface area (BSA). Since approval in 2021, ruxolitinib cream has been shown to be consistently effective across disease severities, age groups, and anatomic sites of special interest (ie, head and neck region, hands). Real-world usage as monotherapy and in combination with other topicals have confirmed its efficacy in practice and further led to reduced usage of topical corticosteroids. Ruxolitinib cream also has the potential to reduce economic costs due to AD-related decline in work productivity. Here, we review the most up-to-date clinical trial and real-world efficacy data that position ruxolitinib 1.5% cream as a first-line AD therapeutic. J Drugs Dermatol. 2025;24:2(Suppl 2):s5-15.