TOPICAL TIACRILAST, A POTENT MAST-CELL DEGRANULATION INHIBITOR, DOES NOT IMPROVE ADULT ATOPIC ECZEMA

Tiacrilast is a potent mast cell degranulation inhibitor in vitro and in animal studies. Since mast cells and their mediators are possibly i nvolved in atopic eczema, we have studied a topically applied 3% hydro gel formulation of tiacrilast against vehicle in a multicenter, double -blind, placebo-controlled trial. Drug or vehicle were applied on invo lved skin for 28 days. Efficacy was assessed weekly using a 4-point sc ale for erythema, scaling, induration, exudation and pruritus. An over all assessment of the sites for efficacy and site preference was perfo rmed at the end of treatment. In the 32 patients evaluable for efficac y, > 33% improvement was noted on 78% of the drug- and 75% of the vehi cle-treated sites, with no statistically significant differences for a ny of the parameters tested. Treatment was generally well tolerated by all patients. These data suggest that mast cells may not play a major role in the maintenance of atopic eczema lesions.