Topical pimecrolimus 1% cream (Elidel®) is a nonsteroidal option in the treatment of juvenile atopic dermatitis. Topical pimecrolimus was successful in alleviating disease symptoms in vehicle-controlled, short-term, continuous-use studies in pediatric patients with mild to severe atopic dermatitis. In longer-term, intermittent-use studies, topical pimecrolimus proved beneficial in avoiding disease flares and lowering the requirement for topical corticosteroids. Furthermore, topical pimecrolimus was linked to improvements in the health-related quality of life of juvenile atopic dermatitis children and their parents.
Topical pimecrolimus was typically as well tolerated as the vehicle in vehicle-controlled studies. In a short-term, continuous-use experiment, topical pimecrolimus demonstrated comparable effectiveness to topical tacrolimus 0.03% ointment, and the two treatments had a largely similar tolerability profile.
Although there are no comparative data in pediatric patients between topical pimecrolimus and topical corticosteroids, and the long-term tolerability (beyond 1–2 years) of topical pimecrolimus has yet to be established, topical pimecrolimus is a useful agent in the management of pediatric patients with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis who do not respond to other topical pharmacologic treatments, including topical corticosteroids.
Reference:link.springer.com/article/10.2165/11204640-000000000-00000
