Crisaborole 2% may be more effective than pimecrolimus 1% or tacrolimus 0.03% in patients aged 2 and older with mild-to-moderate AD, according to an unanchored matching-adjusted indirect comparison (MAIC) published in Dermatology and Therapy. The study implies that the odds of achieving improvement in the Investigator’s Static Global Assessment (ISGA) score are greater with crisaborole 2% than the other topical calcineurin inhibitors, which is consistent with findings from a previously published network meta-analysis that used a different methodology for performing indirect treatment comparisons, according to Howard Thom, PhD, MSc, and colleagues. The efficacy of crisp role was evaluated using individual patient data (IPD) from two pivotal phases III randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and the efficacy of comparators was assessed using published RCTs included in a previous network meta-analysis. Vehicle controls were not comparable due to differences in ingredients and population imbalance; therefore, an unanchored MAIC was used, which reweighted IPD for crisaborole to estimate absolute response in comparator populations.
