30-Second Takeaway
- Ustekinumab shows best bionaive drug survival, while bimekizumab and IL-23s lead after prior biologic exposure.
- Evidence supports limiting routine baseline labs for psoriasis biologics, emphasizing TB (and selective HBV) screening instead.
- Digital caregiver education modestly lowers early pediatric atopic dermatitis relapse but offers little long-term advantage.
- Nearly one-quarter of real-world AD patients would be RCT-ineligible yet generally tolerate biologics and JAK inhibitors acceptably.
- Tinted, iron-oxide sunscreens deliver meaningful visible-light protection for hyperpigmentation and skin of color.
Week ending January 10, 2026
Biologic use, data quality, and light protection: sharpening real-world dermatology decisions
Biologic drug survival in psoriasis differs by line of therapy and molecule
This DERMBIO registry cohort included 4438 adults with psoriasis and 7193 biologic treatment series from 2007 to 2025. Among bionaive patients, ustekinumab had a significantly lower 5-year standardized discontinuation risk than adalimumab and secukinumab. Among bioexperienced patients, bimekizumab, guselkumab, and risankizumab showed significantly lower 2-year discontinuation risks than ustekinumab. These real-world data suggest prioritizing ustekinumab early and IL-23s or bimekizumab later when treatment persistence is a key goal.
Evidence review supports streamlined baseline testing for psoriasis biologics
This systematic review graded safety data for monoclonal antibody therapies in plaque psoriasis using US Preventive Services Task Force methods. Biologic agents overall showed minimal systemic risk, with strong support only for tuberculosis screening and monitoring in TNF-α inhibitor users. Hepatitis B testing appears useful for TNF-α inhibitor candidates, whereas most other routine labs have limited benefit. Clinical screening for candidiasis and inflammatory bowel disease is recommended in IL-17 inhibitor users instead of broad laboratory panels. The authors conclude most baseline and monitoring tests are low value and should be individualized rather than ordered universally.
Guideline-style review updates chronic urticaria therapeutic sequencing
This JAAD review focuses on clinical management of chronic urticaria, aiming for complete symptom control at the lowest effective dose. Second-generation antihistamines remain first line, often at higher-than-standard doses to achieve adequate control. For antihistamine-refractory disease, immunosuppressants and biologics are highlighted as key add-on options with summarized efficacy and safety. The article underscores a rapidly evolving landscape, including biologics, small molecules, and mast cell–directed agents under investigation.
Smartphone-based caregiver education reduces short-term relapse in pediatric atopic dermatitis
This multicenter randomized trial enrolled 615 children aged 0-6 years with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis across 12 Chinese centers. Caregivers received either a 12-week structured smartphone-based education program plus standard care or conventional consultation alone. Relapse at 12 weeks was significantly lower with digital education than with standard care, with a relative risk of 0.69. Relapse-free survival over the first 100 days improved, but later relapse rates, severity scores, and quality-of-life outcomes did not differ significantly. The program showed high engagement, supporting digital education as a scalable adjunct for early relapse prevention.
References
Numbered in order of appearance. Click any reference to view details.
Additional Reads
Optional additional studies from this edition.