Asivatrep is a potent and selective antagonist of transient receptor potential vanilloid subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1), which plays an important role in itch and inflammation in atopic dermatitis (AD). This current study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of asivatrep cream in patients with AD. For this phase 3 double-blind, vehicle-controlled study, patients aged ≥12 years with mild to moderate AD were enrolled and randomly assigned 2:1 to the 1.0% asivatrep or vehicle group for 8 weeks of twice-daily application (n = 240). The primary end point was the proportion of patients with an Investigator's Global Assessment score (IGA) of 0 or 1 at week 8. Standard safety assessments were conducted. At week 8, significantly more patients in the asivatrep group (36.0%) than in the vehicle group (12.8%) had IGA scores of 0 or 1 (P < .001); significantly more had ≥2 points of improvement on the IGA from baseline score (20.3% vs 7.7%; P = .01). The mean percentage reduction in the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) score was 44.3% for the asivatrep group and 21.4% for the vehicle group at week 8 (P < .001). Significantly more asivatrep-treated patients experienced an improvement of at least 50%, 75%, and 90% on the EASI than the vehicle group. The mean ± SD change in the pruritus visual analog scale score at week 8 was -2.3 ± 2.4 for the asivatrep group and -1.5 ± 2.4 for the vehicle group (P = .02). No significant safety issues were reported. Asivatrep improved clinical signs and symptoms of AD and was well tolerated.

Infantile hemangioma (IH) is the most common tumor of infants and young children.^1,2 Although small IH lesions typically do not cause problems, they often require treatment because of the site of occurrence and associated complications such as abnormal eye development or vision problems, airway obstruction, and bowel obstruction.^3,4 Historically, steroids have been used as the primary treatment for IH.^5,6 Steroids have been shown to be antiangiogenic in a number of in vitro settings and also have shown good therapeutic effects clinically. However, the use of steroids may lead to various complications including gastroesophageal reflux and growth disorders, although these complications are associated with long-term use and high dose.⁷ A type of anticancer drug or immunomodulator, interferon alfa, may be used for severe IH in cases where patients did not respond to steroids.^8,9 However, interferon alfa also has several possible adverse effects, including fever, muscle pain, systemic myalgia, and in severe cases, liver damage, blood toxic effects, thyroid hormonal abnormality, and neurological and neurodevelopmental toxic effects.⁸ Because of concerns about these adverse effects, many guardians of pediatric patients prefer to wait rather than accept treatment.

Kwon OS, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2007 Apr;22(2):283-289. http://dx.doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2007.22.2.283