More than 16 million American adults, and 9.6 million American kids, live with atopic dermatitis. This condition, which is the most common form of eczema, can dramatically impact your quality of life.
But there is some good news out there. “The future is very bright when it comes to treatment of atopic dermatitis,” says Ross Radusky, MD, a dermatologist at the Dermatology Treatment and Research Center in Dallas. “It seems like every few months, there’s a new medication available. The standard of care is constantly changing, thanks to new research and treatments.”
Here’s a look at some of the most promising innovations.
New Topicals for Atopic Dermatitis
The treatment most people with atopic dermatitis try first has traditionally been prescription steroid creams, says Radusky. But many people are nervous to use them, especially with their children, as they carry side effects such as thinning of the skin.
This past year, the FDA approved two new topical treatments for atopic dermatitis:
Roflumilast cream 0.15% (Zoryve). This is a type of drug known as a PDE4 inhibitor. “It inhibits an enzyme in the body known as phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4), which increases inflammation that’s associated with atopic dermatitis,” says Lawrence Eichenfield, MD, chief of pediatric and adolescent dermatology at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. It’s applied to patches of atopic dermatitis once a day. “Since it’s not a topical steroid, we can use it for longer and on parts of the body where you can’t use a steroid, like the face,” Eichenfield says. It’s approved for adults and kids aged 6 and older. It’s also being studied in clinical trials for children between the ages of 2 and 5 years old.
Tapinarof 1% (Vtama). Like Zoryve, it’s not a steroid. Instead, it helps to treat atopic dermatitis since it binds to a certain receptor known as the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) to reduce inflammation. It also increases the activity of certain proteins that help to repair your skin barrier. It’s approved for adults and kids ages 2 years and older.
Both topicals are a good first treatment for anyone with atopic dermatitis, but they’re especially useful in skin of color, says Radusky. “Topical steroid creams are more likely to cause skin discoloration and stretch marks in black and brown skin. But these new topicals can shut down inflammation quickly and safely, with much less risk of pigmentation.”
Other creams. There are also some other creams to consider, including ruxolitinib (Opzelura), which is a twice-daily, steroid-free JAK inhibitor for those 12 years and up. Another cream is called crisaborole (Eucrisa), which can be used in people ages 6 months and up. Your dermatologist may also suggest an ointment called tacrolimus (Protopic), which is a calcineurin inhibitor that reduces inflammation for ages 2 years and up.
Better-Than-Ever Biologics
When you have atopic dermatitis, your body’s immune system goes into overdrive and releases high levels of a protein chemical called an interleukin (IL). It causes inflammation that leads to a flare-up of your atopic dermatitis.
Drugs called biologics help to prevent that since they stop ILs in their tracks. As a result, your skin will have less inflammation and your symptoms of atopic dermatitis, like itching and redness, will get better. “This class of drugs really revolutionized the treatment of atopic dermatitis because for the first time we had medication that selectively lowered the pathway of inflammation,” explains Radusky. “Before that, we had to rely either on topical steroids or, in very severe cases, oral drugs that suppressed the body’s entire immune system and had significant side effects, like making it very hard for you to fight off infection.”
The first biologic to treat atopic dermatitis, dupilumab (Dupixent), was FDA approved in 2017. It was followed by tralokinumab (Adbry) and lebrikizumab (Ebglyss), and in December 2024, the newer biologic nemolizumab (Nemluvio). “Nemolizumab targets a different IL – IL-31 – than the other biologics,” explains Radusky. As a result, it may be a good option for people who haven’t gotten help from other drugs, like dupilumab, he says. It’s used along with topical steroids or another type of topical medication called calcineurin inhibitors (TCIs).
Dupilumab (Dupixent) is FDA-approved for adults and children ages 6 months and older. Clinical trials are now looking at the other biologics in kids under the age of 12, Eichenfield says.
Oral JAK inhibitors like abrocitinib (Cibinquo) can also be used for adults and children ages 12 and up with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, especially if the AD can’t be controlled with other systemic drugs. Your dermatologist may also recommend it in combination with other JAK inhibitors, biologic immunomodulators, or immunosuppressants.
What’s on the Horizon?
While four new treatments – topicals roflumilast (Zoryve) and tapinarof (Vtama) and injectable biologics lebrikizumab (Ebglyss) and nemolizumab (Nemluvio) – were all approved in 2024, new clinical research is being done in 2025. Here are what dermatologists are most excited about.
Delgocitinib. This is a new cream that’s being studied to treat hand atopic dermatitis. It’s a kind of medication known as a topical Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor. These drugs interfere with signals in the body that cause inflammation that leads to atopic dermatitis. As a result, your symptoms will calm down. A study presented at the March 2025 American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting compared topical delgocitinib to a placebo cream and found that after eight weeks, it was about three times as effective.
Amlitelimab. This drug, currently in clinical trials, blocks a molecule called OX40L, which appears to be involved in some of the skin inflammation that occurs with atopic dermatitis. A study presented at the American Academy of Dermatology in March 2025 found that 74% of people with AD who took the drug for up to 28 weeks saw a significant improvement in symptoms like itching. “There’s some promise that this class of drugs could actually modify disease progression, which means that the atopic dermatitis could go away entirely,” says Peter Lio, MD, a pediatric dermatologist at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.
Zabalafin Hydrogel. This is a plant-based topical medicine that helps to treat itch, inflammation, and the overgrowth of harmful bacteria like staph that can cause skin infection in people with atopic dermatitis, says Lio. Another study presented at the 2025 American Academy of Dermatology conference found that twice-daily treatment helped to improve symptoms of itch, improve quality of life, and reduce risk of infection in people with AD.
Extended-use biologics. Researchers are studying the use of biologics that are longer acting, which means that you need to take them less frequently. “Instead of taking a biologic every two to four weeks, you might eventually only have to take it every three to six months,” says Radusky. “It’s not just convenient – if you’re on a medication whose effects last longer, you can keep your atopic dermatitis cleared for longer.”
Show Sources
Photo Credit: ipopba/Getty Images
SOURCES:
National Eczema Association: “Eczema Stats,” “FAQ–Zoryve,” “FAQ-Vitama,” “Prescription Injectables,” “FAQ-Nemluvio.”
UptoDate: “Patient Education: Eczema (Atopic Dermatitis) (Beyond the Basics).”
American Academy of Dermatology: “JAK Inhibitors: What Your Dermatologist Wants You to Know.”
Dermatology Times: “Review and Meta-Analysis Compares Delgocitinib to Vehicle for Chronic Eczema Treatment,” “Amlitelimab Demonstrates Durable Response in Atopic Dermatitis.”
Alphyn Biologics: “Alphyn Poster at American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting Highlights Potential of Zabalafin Hydrogel as Singular, Comprehensive Treatment for Atopic Dermatitis.”
Apogee Therapeutics: “Apogee Announces Dosing of First Patient in Phase 2 Atopic Dermatitis Trial of APG777, a Novel Subcutaneous Half-life Extended Anti-IL-13 Antibody for the Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis and Other Inflammatory Diseases.”
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: “Reframing racial and ethnic disparities in atopic dermatitis in Black and Latinx populations.”
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology: “Racial and ethnic underrepresentation in dermatology clinical trials.”
Ross Radusky, MD, dermatologist, Dermatology Treatment and Research Center, Dallas.
Lawrence Eichenfield, MD, chief of pediatric and adolescent dermatology, Rady Children’s Hospital, San Diego.
Peter Lio, MD, pediatric dermatologist, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago.
