Biologic therapy for inflammatory skin disorders such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, palmoplantar pustulosi, and hidradenitis suppurativa appears to be safe for use during SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, as per the findings of a single-center survey published in The Journal of Dermatology. Investigators undertook this epidemiological study for analyzing the trend of biologics use for inflammatory skin diseases during the SARS-CoV-2 era.

The study recruited 227 people having psoriasis, 6 people having palmoplantar pustulosis, 69 people having atopic dermatitis, and 5 people having hidradenitis suppurativa. In 25 people having psoriasis (11.0%), bioswitch was carried out. Biologics were discontinued in 14 people having psoriasis (6.2%), 10 people having atopic dermatitis (14.5%), and 4 people having hidradenitis suppurativa (80.0%). In people having  palmoplantar pustulosis, biologics were not discontinued.

The introduction of biologics was noted in 27 people having psoriasis (11.9%), 4 people having palmoplantar pustulosis (66.7%), 33 people having atopic dermatitis (47.8%), and 2 people having  hidradenitis suppurativa (40.0%). The utilization of telephone consultations was noted in 4 people having psoriasis and 2 people having atopic dermatitis.

Notably, 1 male patient who was given adalimumab to treat psoriatic arthritis, suffered from coronavirus infection and was reported to recover after a mild course. More evidence-based data on a larger number of patients is required to authenticate the benefits and risks of biologic use during the COVID-19 outbreak, concluded the study authors.