OTC treatment as effective as prescription cream in atopic dermatitis

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Over-the-counter colloidal oatmeal was as effective as barrier repair cream in treatment of atopic dermatitis in black children aged 2 to 15 years, according to study results presented at the 2013 American Academy of Dermatology meeting.

Previous studies have reported that 10% of children have atopic dermatitis, with a higher prevalence in black children. The current study, conducted by Christopher Nunez, PhD, associate director at Johnson & Johnson, and colleagues, examined 49 black children with mild to moderate atopic dermatitis. Patients were randomly assigned colloidal oatmeal or a prescription barrier cream to apply twice daily or as needed for 3 weeks. Improvements were recorded by using the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) at baseline and days 7, 14 and 21.

Researchers found that colloidal oatmeal and barrier repair cream performed equally (95% CI, 0.37-0.69). Colloidal oatmeal cream did not yield rapid improvement by day 7 (% change from baseline in EASI: 62.9% vs. 53.7% for barrier repair cream).

Researchers reported that both treatments were well tolerated and colloidal oatmeal provided a safe, cost-effective OTC alternative.

For more information:

Nunez C. #6654. Presented at: AAD 2013; March 1-5, 2013; Miami Beach. Fla.

Disclosure: The researchers report that the study was sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies Inc.