Ahead of Print: Inside the May 2026 Issue

“That first patient that I see… I hope I can draw things from this conference and have better outcomes.” — David Oberlin, MD, FAAD

If the 2026 Amaerican Academy of Dermatology (AAD) meeting made one thing clear, it’s that dermatology is entering a phase where therapeutic expectations—and options—are rapidly expanding. In this upcoming issue, Dermatology Times takes a closer look at how emerging data across psoriasis (PsO), hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), and atopic dermatitis (AD) may begin to reshape everyday decision-making.

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Psoriasis: A Quiet Shift With Major Implications

Oral therapies are drawing new attention—not just for convenience, but for performance. Data on next-generation TYK2 inhibitors, including envudeucitinib (ESK-001; Alumis) and zasocitinib (TAK-279; Takeda), suggest efficacy levels that begin to challenge long-standing assumptions about the oral–biologic divide. Meanwhile, novel approaches like icotrokinra (Icotyde; Johnson & Johnson) hint at alternative delivery strategies that could further expand patient choice.

📊 Quick Poll

What remains unanswered, and explored in full in this issue, is how these agents will perform in biologic-experienced patients and where they will ultimately land in treatment algorithms.

MORE ON PSORIASIS

Hidradenitis Suppurativa: Raising the Bar

HS management may be approaching its own turning point. Long-term and late-breaking data on IL-17–targeted therapies such as bimekizumab (Bimzelx; UCB) and sonelokimab (Moonlake) suggest not just improved response rates, but evolving expectations around durability and depth of response.

🧠 Clinical Note

Early signals point toward a shift from incremental improvement to more ambitious targets—but how far that shift will go remains an open question.

“If you don’t get inflammation under control early, damage becomes irreversible,” noted Kristian Reich, MD, PhD.

Whether remission becomes a realistic, sustained goal is a central theme explored in the full feature.

MORE ON HS

Atopic Dermatitis: Looking Upstream

New data on amlitelimab (Sanofi) introduce a different therapeutic angle—targeting earlier stages of immune activation. Early results suggest a balance of efficacy and extended dosing intervals that may appeal in real-world settings.

💊 Practice Watch

• Extended dosing intervals under investigation
• Potential implications for adherence and clinic flow
• Safety profile still under long-term evaluation

How this mechanism compares with existing systemic options—and where it may fit—remains to be seen.

MORE ON ATOPIC DERMATITIS

Beyond the Core Diseases

Additional highlights from AAD 2026 point to continued expansion across dermatology:

• upadacitinib (Rinvoq; AbbVie) in vitiligo
• brepocitinib (Priovant Therapeutics) in dermatomyositis
• Emerging RNA-based therapies such as PH-762 (Phio Pharmaceuticals) in cutaneous oncology

🧩 Quick Check

The Throughline

Across disease states, the direction is consistent: more options, higher expectations, and increasing emphasis on how therapies integrate into real-world care. As editor-in-chief Christopher Bunick, MD, PhD, highlights throughout this issue, the next phase in dermatology may be defined less by breakthrough efficacy and more by how seamlessly those advances translate into practice.

This preview only scratches the surface. In the full issue, we examine what these developments mean for sequencing, patient selection, and long-term management strategies.

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