Pearls from both sides of the pond
American and European dermatologists share news on upcoming treatments.
S059 – The Best of American and European Dermatology
1-4 p.m. | Monday, March 11
Location: Room 6F
Pustular psoriasis is a rare, but serious condition. The good news for dermatologists and their patients is that there are at least two new treatments in the pipeline for pustular psoriasis and other conditions, which may change the way they are managed in the near future.
Jeffrey Callen, MD, FAAD, FACP, MACR, professor of medicine and chief of the division of dermatology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky, said intravenous spesolimab has been approved as a treatment for generalized pustular psoriasis, but it may have even more uses than that. Dr. Callen is the director of Monday’s session, S059 – The Best of American and European Dermatology.
“It might eventually be approved as an SQ injection for pustular psoriasis of the palms and soles,” Dr. Callen said.
Shared concerns
Other treatments currently being studied include bimekizumab for pustular psoriasis of the palms and soles, nemolizumab for prurigo nodularis, dupilumab for bullous pemphigoid, and mogamulizimab for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
The session will also feature a discussion of these treatments and others for multiple conditions, including:
- Blistering diseases
- Chronic urticaria
- Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
- Hidradenitis
- Itching
- Pustular psoriasis
Dr. Callen, working with Michel F. Gilliet, MD, the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) representative, said these topics were selected because they are relevant in both Europe and the United States.
“But our approaches to evaluation and management might differ,” Dr. Callen said. “There are excellent researchers on both sides of the Atlantic, and we specifically selected these topics as they have new options for therapy that are currently approved or will likely be approved in the near future.”
A good fit
Dr. Callen said the AAD has always worked closely with its European counterpart, the EADV, to facilitate the exchange of ideas and research between European and American dermatologists. In fact, that partnership dates back to the formation of the EADV in 1987.
“When [the EADV] was formed, it based its annual meeting format largely on the use of the format of the AAD’s Annual Meeting,” Dr. Callen said.
In the spirit of cooperation, Dr. Callen said the AAD suggested having a joint session with the two organizations at each other’s meetings to better help each association’s members understand what was going on across the pond and gain new perspectives on various conditions they were seeing.
“Initially, the AAD session was held during the AAD’s summer meeting, but in the last five or so years, the AAD session was moved to the Annual Meeting,” Dr. Callen said. “Each organization has a member or committee that suggests three speakers annually for each session after assessing what appears to be the hot topics.”
Other topics and speakers at tomorrow’s globally inspired session include a lecture on chronic spontaneous urticaria; pruritus by Shawn Kwatra, MD, FAAD; hidradenitis suppurativa by Robert Micheletti, MD, FAAD; a presentation on cutaneous T-cell lymphoma; immunobullous diseases by John Joseph Zone, MD, FAAD; and pustular psoriasis by Jonathan Barker, MD.
