Author: Medical Team (Alniche Life Sciences)
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A recent study discussing the long-term treatment protocol for Oral lichen planus (OLP) with tacrolimus after the failure of initial treatment with topical corticosteroids was published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.
The clinical effectiveness of topical tacrolimus has been demonstrated in numerous previous studies. However, this research provided detailed data to prove the beneficial effects of tacrolimus with long-term usage which was not done in established literature where the follow-up was too short.
Therefore, this study can be established as a relevant piece of literature to prove the clinical efficacy and safety of tacrolimus as a second line of therapy for the treatment of Oral lichen planus (OLP) in patient’s refractory to topical steroids.
About Oral lichen planus
Lichen planus is a mucocutaneous inflammatory disorder primarily affecting the skin and the oral mucosa where the appearance of symptoms in the oral mucosa precedes the appearance of lesions at other locations. The Etiology of lichen planus is unknown but currently it has been linked to an autoimmune disorder.
About the study
The primary objective of the study was to develop an optimal therapeutic application scheme for the use of oral tacrolimus in the treatment of Oral lichen planus as well as its use-associated side effects.
To attain this objective all the patients diagnosed with OLP and failed treatment with topical corticosteroids were prescribed oral tacrolimus solution (0.03%) as 5-min mouthwash between January 2015 to October 2020. A 4 – point scale (complete remission, major remission, partial remission and no response) was used to evaluate the clinical remission. Additionally, subjective impairment was evaluated on the basis of a 3- point scale (severe, moderate and no impairment).
Key findings from the study:
The key findings from the study are summarized in the table given below:
N |
57 |
|||
Sex |
|
|||
Predominant form |
|
|||
Localization |
|
|||
Previous treatment |
|
|||
Duration of therapy with follow up |
4 & 19.6 months |
|||
CLINICAL RESPONSE TO TREATMENT |
||||
Time period |
3 months |
6 months |
12 months |
24 months |
Objective remission
|
16 patients |
33 patients |
44 patients |
47 patients |
Complete remission
|
0 patients |
6 patients |
4 patients |
4 patients |
Relapse |
- |
7 patients |
12 patients |
15 patients |
Subjective remission (no impairment) |
9 patients |
26 patients |
37 patients |
42 patients |
Conclusion
The study investigators recommended the use of Tacrolimus (b.i.d) as a second-line treatment for Oral lichen planus refractory to the topical steroids.
References
Primary study
Additional Reference