This article summarises the symposium on atopic dermatitis (AD) recorded at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress, which took place from the 17th–20th September 2025 in Paris, France. The aim was to bring a guideline perspective to the treatment of AD through presentations by leading experts in disease management. AD is driven by skin barrier dysfunction, leading to allergen penetration, chronic inflammation, and an ongoing cycle of immune activation with Th2 cytokines that perpetuate itching and further barrier damage. Treatment satisfaction remains low, so it is important to fully understand who is a ‘moderate’ patient and the treatment options that are available to improve symptoms and quality of life (QoL).

9. van der Zee HH et al. Elevated levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-10 in hidradenitis suppurativa skin: a rationale for targeting TNF-α and (IL)-1β. Br J Dermatol. 2011;164(6):1292-8. 10. Navrazhina K et al. Epithelialized tunnels are a source of inflammation in hidradenitis suppurativa. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2021;147(6):2213-24. 11. Krajewski PK et al. Quality-of-life impairment among patients with hidradenitis suppurativa: a cross-sectional study of 1795 patients. Life (Basel). 2021;11(1):34. 12. Gisondi P et al. Quality of life and stigmatization in people with skin diseases in Europe: a large survey from the 'burden of skin diseases' EADV project.

Vitiligo is an autoimmune skin disorder characterised by acquired distinct white patches of the skin. Currently, limited treatment options are available for vitiligo, and there are no approved systemic therapies. At the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress in Berlin, Germany, 11th–14th October 2023, Thierry Passeron, Professor and Chair of Dermatology at the Côte d’Azur University, Nice, France, and Head of the Laboratory INSERM U1065 Team 12, Centre Méditerranéen de Médecine Moléculaire (C3M), Côte d’Azur University, Nice, France, presented an oral presentation summarising data from a Phase IIb study of upadacitinib, an oral selective JAK inhibitor, in patients with non-segmental vitiligo (NSV), during the ‘Free Communications II’ session. Passeron gave an overview of the multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study that evaluated the efficacy and safety of upadacitinib in adults with NSV. This article focuses on the clinical efficacy endpoints and the safety profile outcomes presented at the EADV congress. Overall, the study demonstrated the clinical efficacy of upadacitinib at 24 weeks at different doses versus placebo, with improvements in repigmentation over time, up to Week 52, with a favourable safety profile.

Psoriasis and atopic dermatitis (AD) are both T-cell driven, chronic inflammatory skin disorders. This symposium aimed to discuss the distinct and overlapping clinical characteristics of these diseases and described how improved understanding of the immunopathological pathways involved has impacted treatment paradigms. With insight from his clinical experience, Prof Lebwohl described the key clinical and histologic features of psoriasis and AD. He also gave an overview of the evolution of systemic treatments for these diseases, which reflects growing knowledge of the T-cell driven pathologies, notably the dominance of the Th17/IL-17 pathway in psoriasis and Th2/IL-13 pathway in AD. Prof Warren provided insight into the central role of the IL-23/IL-17 axis in the immunopathogenesis of psoriasis and overviewed the registrational clinical data for approved agents targeting IL-17 and its receptor. He also discussed the importance of complete skin clearance in improving patient quality of life (QoL) and provided an update on the scope of personalised medicine in psoriasis. Prof Weidinger provided insight into the immunological pathways involved in the pathogenesis of AD and its distinct molecular profile from psoriasis, explaining the scientific rationale for, and emerging clinical data supporting, the key role of IL-13 pathways in AD.