Efficacy and Safety of Alitretinoin Therapy in Korean Elderly Patients with Chronic Hand Eczema: A Retrospective Single Center Study

BACKGROUND: Chronic hand eczema (CHE) tends to be refractory to conventional therapy. Previous clinical trials have found that alitretinoin is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for CHE. However, there is a relative lack of data on the effectiveness of alitretinoin in elderly patients. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of oral alitretinoin in elderly patients with moderate to severe CHE in Korea. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated 46 CHE patients who were treated with either 10 mg or 30 mg of alitretinoin between June of 2016 and July of 2018. The physician's global assessment (PGA) was used to evaluate treatment efficacy. All adverse events were retrospectively evaluated with respect to laboratory testing, including complete blood cell count, fasting blood chemistry, lipid profile, and liver and thyroid function tests. RESULTS: The mean patient age in this study was 71.0±5.1 years. The treatment period was over eight weeks. A total of 38 of 46 patients (82.6%) exhibited clinical improvement with PGA ratings of ‘clear’ or ‘almost clear.’ There were 13 patients (28.3%) who experienced an adverse effect, with the most common being headache (13.0%) and gastrointestinal symptoms (8.7%) followed by xerosis (6.5%). A total of 13 patients developed or exhibited worsening hypertriglyceridemia (28.3%). CONCLUSION: Alitretinoin can be considered a safe and effective treatment option in elderly patients with moderate to severe CHE.

Mycosis Fungoides Responsive to Oral Alitretinoin and Ultraviolet B Phototherapy: A Case Report / 대한피부과학회지

Mycosis fungoides is the most common type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Patients with early stage disease usually respond well to conventional therapies, with a relatively favorable prognosis. However, a few patients are refractory to treatment and need alternative strategies, even at the patch and plaque stages. We report the case of a middle-aged woman with long-standing and refractory mycosis fungoides that responded to combination therapy with the 308-nm excimer laser and oral alitretinoin.

Study on Micronization Technology of Alitretinoin Crude Drug / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE:To screen the optimal micronization technology of Alitretinoin crude drug. METHODS:Using characteristic value of particle size distribution [d(0.9)] and the content of impurity A of crude drug after crushed as indexes, crushing method(universal pulverizer,ball crusher,airslide disintegrating mill),crushing gas source(compressed air,high pressure nitrogen)and crushing pressure(0.2,0.4,0.6 MPa)of Alitretinoin crude drug were screened,and validation test was also conducted. RESULTS:The optimal technology was as follows as airslide disintegrating mill,high pressure nitrogen as gas source,at 0.4 MPa.In validation test,particle sizes for 3 batches of crude drug after crushed were 8.57,8.55,8.54 μm(<10 μm, RSD=0.15%,n=3). The content of impurity A was not increased compared with before crushed(0.07%). CONCLUSIONS:Screened micronization technology of Alitretinoin crude drug is feasible and stable in quality.

Efficacy and Safety of Alitretinoin for Chronic Hand Eczema in Korean Patients

BACKGROUND: Chronic hand eczema (CHE) tends to be refractory to conventional therapy. Previous clinical trials have found that a 24-week treatment course of oral alitretinoin is effective and well tolerated for CHE treatment. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of oral alitretinoin in Korean CHE patients. METHODS: A total of 27 patients with moderate to severe CHE took 30 mg of alitretinoin daily for 12 weeks. The primary efficacy parameter was the physician's global assessment (PGA). The response was defined as a patient being "clear" or "almost clear" of disease. The secondary efficacy parameters were the modified total lesion symptom score (mTLSS) and the patients' global assessment (PaGA). All adverse events and laboratory abnormalities were recorded during the treatment period. RESULTS: Alitretinoin led to CHE symptom improvement in 44.4% of patients. The PGA, mTLSS, and PaGA scores correlated well with each other. Reported adverse events were typical retinoid class effects and headache was the most common. CONCLUSION: Taking 30 mg of oral alitretinoin daily for 12 weeks was found to be effective in treating Korean patients with CHE, compared with the 24 week-treatment shown in previous studies.

Hand eczema: An update.

Eczema, the commonest disorders afflicting the hands, is also the commonest occupational skin disease (OSD). In the dermatology outpatient departments, only the severe cases are diagnosed since patients rarely report with early hand dermatitis. Mild forms are picked up only during occupational screening. Hand eczema (HE) can evolve into a chronic condition with persistent disease even after avoiding contact with the incriminated allergen / irritant. The important risk factors for hand eczema are atopy (especially the presence of dermatitis), wet work, and contact allergy. The higher prevalence in women as compared to men in most studies is related to environmental factors and is mainly applicable to younger women in their twenties. Preventive measures play a very important role in therapy as they enable the affected individuals to retain their employment and livelihood. This article reviews established preventive and therapeutic options and newer drugs like alitretinoin in hand eczema with a mention on the etiology and morphology. Identifying the etiological factors is of paramount importance as avoiding or minimizing these factors play an important role in treatment.