Does Skin Tone Affect Efficacy of Therapy for Atopic Dermatitis? Probably Not
AAD 2025: Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, MSCI, well-known physician scientist, says underrepresentation in clinical trials of those with skin of color precludes an evidence-based answer.
Clinical trial data on efficacy of the medications studied and approved for dermatologic disorders including atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa, and others suggest no difference across skin of different Fitzpatrick phototypes, Raj Chovatiya, MD, PhD, MSCI, told Patient Care© in a recent interview. "The real world data seem to suggest that, too," he added.
In the video above, he discusses whether skin tone affects the choice of treatment for common dermatologic conditions and how clinical trial design needs to change to "tease apart" an answer to this question.
Chovatiya is clinical associate professor of medicine, Rosalind Franklin University Chicago Medical School, in Chicago, IL. He spoke with Patient Care at the 2025 American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting in Orlando, FL, March 7-11.
Chovatiya is also founder and director of the Center for Medical Dermatology + Immunology Research in Chicago, IL, and recognized internationally for his research into the intersection of cutaneous immunology and inflammatory disease. He has a particular interest in optimizing patient-centered care, understanding chronic disease burden, especially in understudied inflammatory diseases, exploring health and social disparities, and improving care across diverse skin types.
See below for more of the Patient Care interview with Chovatiya.
The Exposome is Everything in Atopic Dermatitis: An Expert Perspective on AD Pathophysiology
