Delgocitinib cream significantly improves health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in adults with moderate-to-severe chronic hand eczema, according to an analysis of data from two phase 3 trials.
Data were pooled from the identical multicentre DELTA 1 and DELTA 2 trials to assess the impact of the pan-Janus kinase inhibitor delgocitinib on HRQOL compared with a cream vehicle in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic hand eczema, and the results published in the journal Contact Dermatitis.
Adults with moderate or severe disease, defined by an Investigator’s Global Assessment score of 3 or 4, were randomised in a 2:1 ratio to receive delgocitinib cream 20 mg/g or the cream vehicle twice daily for 16 weeks.
Primary outcomes included changes in HRQOL scores using validated patient-reported outcome measures, including the EuroQoL 5-dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaire, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and Hand Eczema Impact Scale (HEIS), from baseline to week 16.
Secondary outcomes included the proportion of patients achieving clinically meaningful improvement and the duration spent in a response state.
The pooled cohort included 960 patients, with 639 receiving delgocitinib and 321 assigned to the cream vehicle group. The mean age was approximately 44 years, 64% were female and the majority had moderate disease with a mean duration of approximately 10 years. Baseline mean DLQI scores ranged from 12.4 to 12.6, indicating substantial HRQOL impairment.
HRQOL improvement with delgocitinib
Delgocitinib cream produced significantly greater HRQOL improvements than the cream vehicle at week 16, with benefits apparent from week one and increasing throughout the study period.
For EQ-5D, the mean change from baseline at week 16 was 0.17 with delgocitinib and 0.06 with the cream vehicle (95% CI 0.08–0.13; P<0.001), with improvements observed across all domains, including pain or discomfort and anxiety or depression.
DLQI scores decreased by −7.3 with delgocitinib compared to −3.5 with the cream vehicle (95% CI −4.5 to −3.0; P<0.001). Clinically meaningful improvement was achieved in 73.3% of patients receiving delgocitinib, compared with 47.8% of those receiving the cream vehicle (P < 0.001).
HEIS scores also improved (−1.46 vs −0.73; 95% CI −0.86 to −0.59; P<0.001), with clinically important responses in 62.3% of treated patients compared with 33.0% of patients receiving the cream vehicle alone.
Clinical implications for chronic hand eczema
The authors noted that improvements were also observed in the cream vehicle group, likely attributable to the emollient properties of the formulation and trial participation effects.
Indeed, nearly half (47.8%) of patients receiving the cream vehicle achieved a clinically meaningful DLQI response, underscoring the importance of background care.
Study limitations included the relatively short 16-week duration; however, the longer-term impact of treatment over 52 weeks has now been evaluated in the DELTA 3 extension study.
Additionally, the predominantly White study population may limit generalisability, indicating a need for assessment in more ethnically diverse populations, the authors said.
The findings indicated that twice-daily treatment with delgocitinib cream is associated with improvements in HRQOL compared with the cream vehicle alone.
Although the HEIS is a disease-specific tool that may offer unique insights, results were consistent across generic, dermatology-specific and disease-specific measures, which led the authors to conclude that these instruments should be viewed as complementary for assessing impact and treatment effects in moderate-to-severe chronic hand eczema.
Delgocitinib (brand name Anzupgo) was recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence as a new treatment option for moderate-to-severe chronic hand eczema in November 2025.
Reference
Bauer A et al. Effect of delgocitinib cream on health-related quality of life in patients with moderate to severe chronic hand eczema. Contact Dermatitis 2026;0:1–9.
This article was originally published by our sister publication Hospital Healthcare Europe.
