Choosing a Biologic in Atopic Dermatitis

For a patient with atopic dermatitis who is ready for systemic therapy, the first priority is getting them on one, Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, MSCI, told Dermatology Times in an interview at the 2026 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference. “There really are no wrong answers as long as you’re able to get your systemic therapy ready patient on a systemic therapy,” he said.

Chovatiya, an associate professor at the Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School and founder and director of the Center for Medical Dermatology and Immunology Research in Chicago, Illinois, shared his perspectives on the biologic landscape for atopic dermatitis, with a focus on how clinicians make treatment decisions based on the available data. He shared the 2 most important take-aways with Dermatology Times.

Moving Systemic-Ready Patients Beyond Topicals

For many patients, the systemic therapy is going to be a biologic, Chovatiya told Dermatology Times. He acknowledged that clinicians have a lot of different reasons for choosing a particular biologic.

Whatever the reason, he framed success in terms of the patient who has stalled on topical treatment. “As long as you can help your patient get past that hump of remaining uncontrolled on topicals, you’re doing a good thing,” he advised.

Making Sense of IL-13 Biologic Data in Atopic Dermatitis

Chovatiya called his second point “a very important one,” urging clinicians to understand the data behind the current biologic therapies. “We have an embarrassment of riches more so than we ever had in the world of atopic dermatitis,” he said, noting more options can make the decision harder. On paper, it can sometimes be very difficult to make choices, he added, especially when talking with patients about dupilumab, tralokinumab, and lebrikizumab, all medications that can block IL-13.

Clinicians should understand how the data for these agents compare with one another, Chovatiya said in the interview. He pointed to differences in trial designs, patient populations, types of outcomes of interest, and safety.

The other half of the task is finding a way to easily translate that data into the real world. The aim, he told Dermatology Times, is to “ultimately equip you and your patient to make the best treatment choice possible.”