You’re busy. Between patients, prior authorizations, inbox messages, and everything else on your plate, keeping up with the literature is the first thing that slips. Dermatology Times NP/PA Connect is here to make sure it doesn’t. Each week, we pull the most clinically relevant news from across dermatology and bring it straight to your inbox — what’s new, what it means, and what’s worth watching. This week: a personalized mRNA vaccine changes the adjuvant conversation in resected melanoma, brodalumab shows real-world staying power after other IL-17 inhibitors fail, and new data sharpen how we counsel patients through fertility treatment, pregnancy, and anogenital psoriasis.
The phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial found that adding an individualized neoantigen mRNA therapy to checkpoint blockade lowered the risk of recurrence after complete melanoma resection. The trial tested intismeran autogene plus pembrolizumab against pembrolizumab alone in patients with completely resected stage 2B to 4 melanoma. The combination met the primary end point of recurrence-free survival along with the key secondary end point of distant metastasis-free survival. The result tracks with the roughly 50% reduction in recurrence or death risk seen previously in phase 2b data with longer follow-up.1,2
Each vaccine is built from a patient's own tumor. Tumor and blood samples undergo high-resolution sequencing to identify neoantigens from point mutations, frameshifts, and splice variants, which are then encoded into an individualized mRNA therapy given intramuscularly. Correlative analyses found the treatment effect held regardless of HLA type, tumor mutational burden, or PD-L1 expression, a detail that could widen the eligible population considerably. Overall survival data remain immature, and manufacturing still takes 6 to 8 weeks, which for now keeps the approach anchored in the adjuvant setting rather than before surgery.3
Disease-free survival is very meaningful clinically. It means time that you're not spending in the hospital, time that you're spending outside with your family and enjoying life, pursuing things that matter to you. — Goran Mićević, MD, PhD, assistant professor of dermatology and pathology, Yale University
▶ Why it matters: Patients with resected stage 2B to 4 melanoma may soon have a personalized adjuvant option beyond checkpoint inhibition alone, so expect referral conversations about neoantigen therapy to start surfacing in surveillance visits.
MORE ON SKIN CANCER
A focused narrative review of real-world and trial data found that patients who switched to brodalumab after failing another biologic, including another IL-17 inhibitor, achieved strong skin clearance. Brodalumab blocks the IL-17 receptor A rather than an individual cytokine, and evidence was particularly supportive of switching after failure of secukinumab or ixekizumab.4 Across real-world studies, 47.8% to 81.7% of patients achieved PASI 75, 40.0% to 58.9% achieved PASI 90, and 28.0% to 50.0% achieved PASI 100 after 12 to 16 weeks. In a larger study, 69.2% of patients who switched from secukinumab or ixekizumab reached PASI 100 by week 52.
Brodalumab also showed effectiveness after failure of TNF-alpha, IL-12/23, and IL-23 inhibitors, with response generally maintained on longer follow-up. Cross-study comparisons are limited by heterogeneity and sparse head-to-head data, so the review cautions against overinterpreting exact response rates when positioning brodalumab within a sequencing algorithm.
▶ Why it matters: For patients plateauing on another IL-17 inhibitor, brodalumab is a reasonable next step, with the strongest evidence supporting a switch after secukinumab or ixekizumab failure.
A 30-year retrospective cohort study of 316 adults aged 18 to 44 years found that how a melanoma is found, and by whom, predicts prognosis. Self-detection was the most common pathway, accounting for 58.9% of cases, but self-detected melanomas were more likely to be thicker than lesions found by a relative, friend, or clinician. Male sex and self-detection were each independently associated with Breslow thickness greater than 2 mm, and among self-detected lesions, nodularity and bleeding were the strongest predictors of advanced disease.5
Men fared worse across the board, with higher rates of metastatic progression (33.1% vs 18.1%) and melanoma-related mortality (18.7% vs 11.3%) than women. Among patients who died from melanoma, the median years of life lost exceeded 29.
▶ Why it matters: Counsel young men in particular to seek prompt evaluation of any changing, bleeding, or nodular lesion rather than watching and waiting.
MotherToBaby opened a new observational pregnancy study for lebrikizumab-lbkz (Ebglyss; Eli Lilly and Company) on August 13, 2026, enrolling participants with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis across the United States and Canada. Christina D. Chambers, PhD, MPH, professor of pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine, is leading the effort to address a real gap: current prescribing information states that available case-report data are insufficient to evaluate a drug-associated risk of major birth defects, miscarriage, or other adverse maternal or fetal outcomes, and that IgG antibodies like lebrikizumab are known to cross the placenta.6,7
The study will compare outcomes in women exposed to lebrikizumab with 2 comparison groups, those on other systemic therapy or phototherapy and those on no systemic treatment, to help separate drug-associated effects from disease-related risk. It is observational, so no participant is asked to change her treatment plan, and enrollment is expected to run through 2033.
Every participant who shares their experience helps expand the evidence available to support informed eczema treatment decisions during pregnancy. — Christina D. Chambers, PhD, MPH, professor of pediatrics, UC San Diego School of Medicine
▶ Why it matters: Patients on lebrikizumab who are pregnant or planning pregnancy are candidates for enrollment. The registry is worth mentioning at the point of prescribing so eligible patients know it exists.
Infertility affects an estimated 24% to 33% of female providers, roughly double the rate in the nonmedical professional population, and many turn to ovulation-inducing pharmacotherapy that carries its own dermatologic burden.8 Gonadotropins, including human chorionic gonadotropin, and clomiphene raise estrogen and progesterone, which increases sebum production, follicular plugging, and Cutibacterium acnes activity, driving acnegenesis. The same hormonal surge can stimulate melanin-producing pathways, raising melasma and hyperpigmentation risk, particularly with UV exposure, while the rapid hormone drop after IVF egg retrieval or during downregulation can trigger telogen effluvium and sometimes androgenic alopecia.
Steven Ory, MD, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Coconut Creek, Florida, noted that the most common skin reaction his patients experience is urticaria tied to progesterone supplementation ahead of embryo transfer, affecting as many as a quarter of patients and usually resolving with a different oil vehicle. He added that androgen effects like acne and hirsutism can occur with gonadotropins and clomiphene, agents that raise LH. Topical steroids are not a concern before pregnancy is established, since teratogenic risk begins after embryogenesis starts around 5 weeks post last menstrual period, but isotretinoin, spironolactone, and tetracyclines must be stopped once a patient transitions to pregnancy.9
▶ Why it matters: Coordinate with the reproductive endocrinology team before starting or continuing systemic acne or pigment therapy in a patient actively pursuing fertility treatment.
Anogenital Psoriasis Carries the Heaviest Burden and Gets the Least Biologic Therapy
The case-control PsoGen study of 294 adults with psoriasis found that 159 patients (54.1%) had current anogenital involvement, and this group carried a substantially heavier disease burden than patients without it.9 They had higher psoriasis severity, more comorbidities, and more intense itching, pain, and burning, yet were less likely to receive biologic therapy. They also reported greater quality-of-life impairment, poorer mental health, and more difficulty with sexual activity and intimate relationships.
Patients defined their own treatment priorities around reducing physical symptoms and restoring sexual and relationship functioning, not simply clearing visible plaques. Higher disease severity, greater itching or burning, and limitations in sexual activity were all associated with worse patient-reported outcomes.
▶ Why it matters: Ask directly about anogenital involvement and sexual health at every visit, and let patient-reported burden, not just PASI, guide the decision to escalate to biologic therapy.
Get Involved With Dermatology Times
For APPs across all stages of their dermatology careers, opportunities to connect, learn, and share experiences can be an important part of professional growth. Dermatology Times invites nurse practitioners and physician assistants to share their perspectives through NP/PA Connect. APPs can contribute clinical insights, career experiences, advocacy efforts, lessons learned, and perspectives on emerging treatments while connecting with colleagues across the dermatology community.
Interested in getting involved? Contact editor Shannon Heaning at [email protected] to contribute.
References
- Merck and Moderna announce phase 3 INTerpath-001 trial of intismeran autogene plus KEYTRUDA met endpoints of recurrence-free survival (RFS) and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) in patients with completely resected stage IIB-IV melanoma. News release. Merck & Co., Inc.; Moderna, Inc. August 19, 2026. Accessed August 20, 2026. https://www.merck.com/news/merck-and-moderna-announce-phase-3-interpath-001-trial-of-intismeran-autogene-plus-keytruda-met-endpoints-of-recurrence-free-survival-rfs-and-distant-metastasis-free-survival-dmfs-in-patient/
- Weber JS, Carlino MS, Khattak A, et al. Individualised neoantigen therapy mRNA-4157 (V940) plus pembrolizumab versus pembrolizumab monotherapy in resected melanoma (KEYNOTE-942): a randomised, phase 2b study. Lancet. 2024;403(10427):632-644. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(23)02268-7
- Moderna and Merck present 5-year data for intismeran autogene in combination with KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab) in patients with high-risk stage III/IV melanoma following complete resection at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting. News release. Moderna, Inc.; Merck & Co., Inc. June 1, 2026. Accessed August 20, 2026. https://www.merck.com/news/moderna-and-merck-present-5-year-data-for-intismeran-autogene-in-combination-with-keytruda-pembrolizumab-in-patients-with-high-risk-stage-iii-iv-melanoma-following-complete-resection-at-the-20/
- Armstrong AW, Strober BE, Liu CM, Cather JC, Merola JF, Lebwohl MG. Effectiveness of brodalumab in biologic-experienced adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis: a focused narrative review. J Dermatolog Treat. 2026;37(1):2694924. doi:10.1080/09546634.2026.2694924
- Rodríguez-Sánchez B, Avilés-Izquierdo JA, Martín-Nieto-González J, et al. Prognostic impact of detection patterns, reasons for consultation, and sex differences in melanoma among young adults: a 30-year retrospective cohort study. Int J Dermatol. Published online August 13, 2026. doi:10.1111/ijd.70615
- New MotherToBaby study targets pregnancy data gap for newer eczema treatment. News release. MotherToBaby. August 13, 2026. Accessed August 18, 2026. https://mothertobaby.org/ongoing-study/ebglyss-lebrikizumab-lbkz/
- EBGLYSS (lebrikizumab-lbkz) injection, for subcutaneous use. Prescribing information. Eli Lilly and Company; 2024. Accessed August 18, 2026. https://ebglyss.lilly.com/
- Kassab JG, Garcia Keeme-Sayre A, Lipshultz LI. Physician infertility: a structured literature review. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2024;41(9):2227-2235. doi:10.1007/s10815-024-03216-4
- da Silva Burger N, Augustin M, Wilsmann-Theis D, et al. Disclosing the overall and sex-related disease burden and treatment needs of patients with anogenital psoriasis: results from the case-control PsoGen study. Dermatology Research and Practice. 2026;7159192. doi:10.1155/drp/7159192
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