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PRAGUE -- Steroid-resistant hand eczema responds almost half the time to treatment with oral alitretinoin, data from randomized clinical trials have shown.
Furthermore, 80% of patients who relapsed after alitretinoin treatment was stopped regained disease control when treated again with the agent, Dr. Uwe Hillen of University Clinic in Essen, Ger many, reported at the International Congress of Dermatology.
"Alitretinoin produced improvement in all of the individual signs and symptoms of chronic hand eczema," said Dr. Hillen. "Patients who relapse after initial treatment can be effectively retreated with alitretinoin, suggesting it is a suitable, intermittent treatment option for the long-term management of this chronic, relapsing disease."
