The first cream created to treat debilitating hand eczema will be available to thousands of sufferers in the UK next year, experts say.
The drug, delgocitinib, has been shown in trials to significantly reduce itching and redness within days.
Applied to the skin twice a day, delgocitinib also has far fewer side effects than treatments currently offered on the NHS.
Hand eczema, which leaves the skin on the hands and wrists oozing, cracked and sore, is more common in patients who work with irritating chemicals, such as hairdressers or cleaners.
Experts say the drug could be available in the UK early next year, benefiting more than 10,000 patients.
Hand eczema, which leaves the skin on the hands and wrists oozing, cracked and sore, is most common in those who work with irritating chemicals.
“Delgocitinib is wonderful because it appears to be very effective and safe,” says Dr Anthony Bewley, a consultant dermatologist at Barts Health NHS Trust who led a recent trial of the drug.
‘Hand eczema is relatively common, but it can be very debilitating physically, emotionally and financially when it affects the patient’s working life.’
And he adds: “Since we use our hands a lot as a form of communication, they are almost always in sight.”
‘For those working in jobs that can cause eczema flare-ups, it can also have economic consequences as sufferers are forced to take time off.
“Patients who took delgocitinib felt like they fit back into the world and could go back to work without worrying about their skin. I hope the drug will be approved in the UK next year – we’ll be looking forward to using it.”
An estimated 14 per cent of the UK population suffers from hand eczema. While this condition, also known as atopic dermatitis, affects other areas of the body and is caused by an overactive immune system attacking the skin, hand eczema is usually triggered by environmental factors, such as soaps or chemicals.
For this reason, it usually affects people who work in the cleaning, catering, healthcare or mechanical sectors who regularly come into contact with irritating agents. Unlike atopic dermatitis, which mainly affects children, hand eczema is more common in adults. And, although many new effective drugs for atopic dermatitis have emerged in recent years, experts say that these have not had the same effect on patients with hand eczema.
This is because these treatments suppress inflammation within the body, but do not address the skin sensitivity that hand eczema patients experience. Patients are usually offered steroids, which reduce skin inflammation, or a powerful drug called alitretinoin, which is also used to combat a form of skin cancer called Kaposi’s sarcoma.
However, both medications have a number of uncomfortable side effects, including joint pain, headaches, extremely dry eyes, and even thinning of the skin, leading to painful cuts.
Now, delgocitinib will become the first treatment specifically designed to tackle hand eczema available on the NHS.
The cream is part of a family of drugs known as Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, which work by weakening the immune system.
The compounds within the cream block the activation of proteins that cause inflammation, which prevents the skin from drying out and cracking.
Results from an international trial of 500 participants published in January suggest that delgocitinib is more effective and causes fewer side effects than steroid creams or alitretinoin.
The trial included patients whose hand eczema flare-ups lasted more than three months or recurred at least twice a year and had not responded to existing treatments.
Last week, health officials at the European Medicines Agency indicated they would likely approve marketing of the drug for this group of patients based on this compelling study.
Radio journalist George Icke says treatment could make a “huge difference” to his life
One patient who could benefit from delogcitinib is George Icke, 21, from London, who suffers from flare-ups of eczema on his hands and wrists.
The radio journalist says the treatment could make a “big difference” in his life.
“It’s not just that it hurts and is painful; more than anything, it’s unsightly,” he says.
“I’m quite self-conscious about my eczema and I don’t like it to show. But you can’t hide your hands when you use them at work.”