- Atopic dermatitis is the most common type of eczema, affecting approximately 9.6 million children and 16.5 million adults in the United States
- In pivotal Phase 3 trials, roflumilast cream demonstrated statistically significant improvements over vehicle on the primary endpoint of Investigator Global Assessment (IGA) Success at Week 4, as well as on key secondary endpoints including rapid improvement in itch
- Roflumilast cream was well tolerated and demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile during up to 56 weeks of treatment
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Sept. 12, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQT), an early commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing meaningful innovations in immuno-dermatology, today announced the submission of a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for roflumilast cream 0.15% for the treatment of mild to moderate atopic dermatitis (AD) in adults and children ages 6 years and older.
“Atopic dermatitis is a chronic and relapsing disease that occurs across the lifespan. In clinical studies, once-daily roflumilast cream provided rapid clearance of the disease. In addition, roflumilast cream rapidly reduced itch, one of the most bothersome symptoms to patients, in as little as twenty-four hours,” said Eric Simpson, MD, MCR, FAAD, Professor of Dermatology at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon, and investigator in the Phase 3 INTEGUMENT trials. “The INTEGUMENT studies’ novel approach also incorporated assessment of twice weekly proactive treatment in the long-term study, which demonstrated that, once clear, patients could maintain adequate control by staying ahead of the condition rather than chasing flares. Together, these data suggest that roflumilast cream, if approved, could provide a simplified approach to disease control.”
Roflumilast cream is a once-daily, steroid-free, topical formulation of a highly potent and selective phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) inhibitor. Roflumilast cream is uniquely formulated with HydroARQ Technology™ as a non-greasy emollient cream that absorbs quickly and does not disrupt the skin barrier. In addition, roflumilast cream does not include sensitizing excipients or irritants, such as propylene glycol, polyethylene glycol, isopropyl alcohol, ethanol, or fragrances.
“Atopic dermatitis is a complex disease. Optimal management of the condition requires a complex balance of treatment, efficacy, safety, tolerability, as well as adherence. Atopic dermatitis patients have sensitive skin and increased risk for developing contact dermatitis from their topical medications,” said Jonathan Silverberg, MD, PhD, MPH, FAAD, Professor, Director of Clinical Research, and Director of Patch Testing at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC. “Topical roflumilast cream was intentionally formulated with the atopic dermatitis patient in mind, and does not contain excipients that disrupt skin-barrier integrity or are common contact allergens. Overall, once-daily topical roflumilast cream has demonstrated in clinical trials a balance of efficacy and tolerability, along with a long-term safety profile, that could support increased adherence for patients with atopic dermatitis.”
“Topical therapies are foundational therapy for the vast majority of individuals who use pharmaceuticals to treat their atopic dermatitis, but today’s topicals come with limitations. People suffering from atopic dermatitis want fast-acting, steroid-free, topical treatments that are effective and well tolerated,” said Frank Watanabe, President and Chief Executive Officer of Arcutis. “This is particularly important given the prevalence of the disease in children, where safety and tolerability are of particularly great concern when considering which treatment to use. Both healthcare professionals and patients or parents deserve to feel confident in the treatment decisions they make.”
“Today marks another critical milestone for Arcutis, with the third topical roflumilast submission in two years. I would like to thank the team at Arcutis for their incredible hard work and dedication,” added Watanabe.About the Data The sNDA submission is supported by positive results from the “INterventional Trial EvaluatinG roflUMilast cream for the treatmENt of aTopic dermatitis” (INTEGUMENT-1 and INTEGUMENT-2) trials; two identical Phase 3, parallel group, double blind, vehicle-controlled trials in which roflumilast cream 0.15% or vehicle was applied once-daily for four weeks to individuals 6 years of age and older with mild to moderate AD involving ≥3% body surface area.
Both studies met the primary endpoint of IGA Success, defined as a validated Investigator Global Assessment – Atopic Dermatitis (vIGA-AD) score of ‘clear’ or ‘almost clear’ plus a 2-grade improvement from baseline at Week 4 (INTEGUMENT-1: 32.0% roflumilast cream vs. 15.2% vehicle, P