The role of itch resolution and skin clearance in patient-reported atopic dermatitis severity and quality of life: Real-world Insights from TARGET-DERM AD.

Challenge

Clinical trials in AD frequently use itch and skin clearance as separate endpoints, but whether achieving itch resolution and skin clearance have independent or additive effects on patient-reported outcomes in real-world practice—and which matters more to patients—had not been established in a large observational cohort.

Solution

The TARGET-DERM AD registry was used to analyze the relationship between itch severity (NRS-itch) and skin clearance (vIGA-AD) and their independent and combined associations with POEM, DLQI, and other PROs, establishing the relative contribution of each treatment target to overall patient burden.

Impact

Demonstrating that itch resolution and skin clearance each independently and additively drive PRO improvement provides the real-world clinical meaningfulness evidence needed to justify dual-target endpoints in AD trials and supports payer arguments that complete treatment responses deliver greater patient value than partial responses.