Eczema treatments compared

That finding was presented July 29 at a meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in New York City.

The six-week study of 1 056 people with mild to severe eczema also found there was no statistical difference between the treatments in terms of burning and stinging.

Tacrolimus works better
"This study is the first large, well-designed comparative trial to examine tacrolimus ointment and pimecrolimus cream in the same patient populations, including age, disease severity, length of treatment, efficacy endpoints and adverse events," study investigator Dr Alan Fleischer said in a prepared statement.

"In this study, tacrolimus ointment seemed to work better for all severities of atopic dermatitis than pimecrolimus, including mild sufferers and particularly in severe patients," said Fleischer, a professor, chairman and director of the General Dermatology Clinic at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

The study was funded by Fujisawa Healthcare Inc., which makes tacrolimus ointment. – (HealthDayNews)