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The following is a summary of “Efficacy and safety of small molecule drugs in the treatment of pityriasis rubra pilaris—A systematic review,” published in the February 2025 issue of Frontiers in Medicine by Zhang et al.
Pityriasis rubra pilaris (PRP), a challenging chronic skin condition with significant impact on QoL, lacks effective treatment options presenting a considerable challenge for dermatologists.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to review existing literature on small molecule drugs for PRP, assessing their clinical effectiveness and safety.
They analyzed the use of small molecule drugs for treating pityriasis rubra pilaris PRP by reviewing all available literature. Multiple databases, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, were searched until November 2024.
The results showed that 16 patients with PRP from 11 publications were analyzed. The Small molecule drugs, including apremilast, upadacitinib, abrocitinib, and tofacitinib, demonstrated effective and safe treatment outcomes across all ages, especially in cases unresponsive to systemic therapy and biological agents. However, the small sample size limits these findings, requiring further validation through large-scale randomized controlled clinical trials.
Investigators concluded that small molecule drugs showed promising clinical efficacy and safety for refractory PRP, despite potential publication bias in the literature.
Source: frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2025.1544197/full
