Keytruda, psoriasis studies top weekly dermatology reads

Findings that tildrakizumab showed efficacy as treatment for patients with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis compared with placebo or Enbrel was among the top read articles of the past week on Healio.com/Dermatology.

Other widely-read articles included case report study findings that Keytruda therapy was associated with eruptive keratoacanthomas in three patients with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma or metastatic melanoma:

Keytruda treatment may be associated with eruptive keratoacanthomas

Keytruda therapy was associated with eruptive keratoacanthomas in three patients with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma or metastatic melanoma, according to study results published in JAMA Dermatology.

Researchers conducted a case report study of three patients with metastatic skin cancer (mean age, 83 years; two men and one woman) who were treated with Keytruda (pembrolizumab, Merck) and developed eruptive keratoacanthomas. Read more

Platelet-rich plasma shows efficacy in combination treatment for androgenetic alopecia

Platelet-rich plasma in combination with 5% minoxidil solution showed efficacy in hair regrowth for patients with androgenetic alopecia compared with the combination with oral finasteride, according to study results recently published in Dermatologic Surgery.

Researchers studied 25 patients with androgenetic alopecia (13 females; mean age, 39.9 years). Thirteen patients were treated with 1 mL 5% topical minoxidil solution twice daily and 12 patients treated with 1 mg per day of oral finasteride. Read more

Tildrakizumab shows efficacy in treating plaque psoriasis

Tildrakizumab showed efficacy as treatment for patients with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis compared with placebo or Enbrel, according to results of two phase 3 studies recently published in The Lancet.

Alexa B. Kimball

Alexa B. Kimball, MD, president and CEO of Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School, and colleagues conducted two three-part parallel group, double-blind randomized controlled studies: reSURFACE 1 at sites in Australia, Canada, Japan, the U.K. and U.S., and reSURFACE 2 at sites in Europe, Israel and the U.S. Read more

Melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation offers long-term repigmentation for vitiligo, leukodermas

Patients with vitiligo and other leukodermas experienced long-term repigmentation up to 72 months after treatment with a melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation procedure, according to recently published study results in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Iltefat H. Hamzavi, MD, of the dermatology department at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, and colleagues conducted a retrospective review of electronic records of 100 patients with vitiligo or other leukodermas who underwent melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation procedure (MKTP) between January 2009 and April 2014. Read more

FDA warns of unapproved versions of Juvéderm

The FDA announced it has updated its dermal fillers website to include a public warning about unapproved versions of Juvéderm, including Juvéderm Ultra 2, 3, or 4, which are being sold and distributed illegally in the United States.

Juvéderm (hyaluronic acid, Allergan) should only be injected and sold by or on the prescription of a licensed health care provider, the FDA reported in a press release. Read more