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REVIEW article
Front. Med.
Sec. Dermatology
Volume 12 - 2025 |
doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1544197
This article is part of the Research Topic New Frontiers in Treatment for Rare Inflammatory Skin Diseases View all 3 articles
Efficacy and Safety of Small Molecule Drugs in the Treatment of Pityriasis Rubra Pilaris-A Systematic Review
Provisionally accepted
Xiaofang Zhang 1*
Kebo Wei 1 Hongxia Song 1* Xi Chen 1* Jiao Yang 1* Jianmei Zhao 1* Yugu Jiang 2*
Xin He 3- 1 Sichuan Mianyang 404 Hospital, Mianyang, China
- 2 Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
- 3 Chengdu Integrated TCM and Western Medical Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
Background: Pityriasis rubra pilaris is a chronic, scaly, keratotic skin disease, mainly manifested as scaly plaques and keratinized hair follicles. This condition significantly impacts the patient's quality of life and is considered one of the intractable diseases in dermatology. Currently, no satisfactory clinical treatment options are available for this condition, presenting a considerable challenge for dermatologists. We conducted this systematic evaluation to assess the therapeutic potential of existing small molecule drugs for this disease. Objective: To conduct a systematic review of the existing literature on the use of small molecule drugs for treating pityriasis rubra pilaris and to evaluate their clinical effectiveness and safety. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of all the literature on small molecule drugs for the treatment of Pityriasis rubra pilaris and searched several databases until November 2024, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Results: A total of 16 patients with pityriasis rubra pilaris from 11 publications were included. The small molecule drugs, including apremilast, upadacitinib, abrocitinib, and tofacitinib, demonstrate good efficacy and safety in the treatment of pityriasis rubra pilaris across all ages, particularly in patients who have failed systemic therapy and have a poor response to biological agents. However, the conclusions are limited by the small sample size and need to be further confirmed through large-scale randomized controlled clinical trials. Conclusion: Small molecule drugs demonstrate favorable clinical efficacy and safety in the treatment of refractory pityriasis rubra pilaris, exhibiting a relatively rapid onset and a high safety profile. However, the findings in the literature may be affected by publication bias.
Keywords: Pityriasis Rubra Pilaris, Systematic review, Small molecule drugs, efficacy and safety, Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, PDE-4 inhibitor
Received: 12 Dec 2024; Accepted: 31 Jan 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Wei, Song, Chen, Yang, Zhao, Jiang and He. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Xiaofang Zhang, Sichuan Mianyang 404 Hospital, Mianyang, China
Hongxia Song, Sichuan Mianyang 404 Hospital, Mianyang, China
Xi Chen, Sichuan Mianyang 404 Hospital, Mianyang, China
Jiao Yang, Sichuan Mianyang 404 Hospital, Mianyang, China
Jianmei Zhao, Sichuan Mianyang 404 Hospital, Mianyang, China
Yugu Jiang, Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China
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