Info on Protopic
Dr. Linda Sy shared this news on Protopic on her website. Anyone have
experience with Protopic? If so, let us know what you think.
Thanks!
At the 43rd annual meeting of the Noah Worcester Dermatological
Society, Mark Lebwohl, M.D., chairman of the department of
dermatology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine presented his findings
on the effectiveness of topical tacrolimus (Protopic Ointment) in
treating atopic dermatitis. Tacrolimus is the first in a generation
of nonsteroidal topical immunomodulators. According to Dr. Lebwohl,
tacrolimus might be useful in other conditions, such as seborrheic
dermatitis, eyelid dermatitis, and pyoderma gangrenosum. "One of the
nice things about this new topical immunomodulator is that it does
not have any of the corticosteroid problems that we’re used to. You
don’t have to worry about cutaneous atrophy, formation of stria, and
development of telangiectasia." Dr. Lebwohl said.
" The 0.1% is so safe that I’m not sure why anyone would use 0.03%. I
suppose there is negligible absorption and perhaps in pediatrics you
might start out with the lower concentration," he said. "There was a
theoretical concern about topical immunosuppression, but the clinical
trials have not shown a significant increase in infections compared
to placebo patients. There has been no increase in blood pressure and
no systemic side effects."
Tacrolimus is especially effective for treatments of eyelids.
Physicians need not worry about glaucoma, said Dr. Lebwohl. "We’re
treating patients long-term on the eyelids for chronic dermatitis,
and measuring for intraocular pressure," he said. Physicians should
warn patients about the stinging that occurs with the first few days
of use of tacrolimus.
Dr. Lebwohl disclosed that his department received significant
funding from Fujisawa, manufacturers of tacrolimus ointment.