What the trial was testing
The DELTA enrolled 473 patients with atopic dermatitis. The study was sponsored by LEO Pharma and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was a large trial designed to confirm whether the treatment works well enough for wider use. Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
About 3 times more patients achieved clear or almost clear skin with delgocitinib versus plain cream.
Lancet (London, England) · 2024 · NCT04872101
These findings — that delgocitinib cream cleared hand eczema in about 1 in 4 to 1 in 5 patients after 16 weeks — were published in the Lancet (London, England) and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 473 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with atopic dermatitis, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
This was a large-scale study and delgocitinib cream is under review for FDA approval but not yet available in the US. If you have moderate to severe hand eczema that doesn't respond well to moisturizers and steroid creams, talk to your dermatologist about whether this treatment might become an option for you or if there are similar approved therapies.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open atopic dermatitis trials
Dietary Intervention on Atopy
Diet is a key determinant of overall health, with growing evidence associating dietary patterns with allergic diseases. Among these, atopic dermatitis (AD) is of particular interest as it often represents the earliest manifestation of the atopic triad. Investigating dietary interventions in AD therefore provides a relevant model to better understand how diet may influence the onset and progression of allergic disease more broadly.
Studies of Skin Microbes in Healthy People and in People With Skin Conditions
This study will examine microbes (e.g., bacteria, fungi, viruses) that live on human skin and how microbes contribute to health and disease. It will analyze healthy human skin and how the these microorganisms might change in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), a skin condition also known as eczema. Healthy volunteers, as well as patients with moderate to severe eczema (AD), between 2 and 40 years of age may be eligible for this study. We also wish to enroll children and adults aged 2-40 who have been diagnosed with inherited immune disorders known as HIES (hyperimmunoglobulin-E syndrome), WAS (Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome), or DOCK8 immunodeficiency because they frequently have skin problems similar to AD. Eligible participants undergo the following tests and procedures: * Medical family and medication history * Skin examination * Blood tests (research blood as well as serum IgE, and complete blood count) * Skin samples to analyze microbes. Samples are obtained by the following methods: swabbing the skin with a cotton swab; scraping (scratching) the skin gently with a blade to remove only the outermost skin layers; and, only in adults, biopsy (surgical removal) of a small skin sample less than 1/4-inch (5 mm) in diameter. * Nose swabs to analyze microbes. * Patients with eczema may have photographs of their skin taken to help monitor the skin rashes. Participants may be contacted periodically for follow-up studies. Patients with atopic dermatitis may have additional skin samples collected to examine changes in the skin bacteria over time and during all of the stages of eczema. In addition, patients who have a flare of their eczema are asked to undergo a skin sample collection as soon as possible.