key: cord-0893689-01ocn09x
authors: Montesu, Maria A.; Biondi, Gabriele; Sotgiu, Giovanni; Sucato, Federica; Satta, Rosanna
title: Biologic drugs during COVID‐19 outbreak
date: 2020-08-06
journal: Int J Dermatol
DOI: 10.1111/ijd.15088
sha: cfb4e1fcbfe215653a98b1ffd6e39c05b1720143
doc_id: 893689
cord_uid: 01ocn09x

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diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, cardiovascular disease, psoriatic arthritis, chronic renal failure, and IBD. Twenty-three patients with severe atopic dermatitis were administered dupilumab; their mean (range) age was 35 (20-52) years, and their most prevalent comorbidities were asthma and allergic rhinitis.

Ten patients (mean age 38 years, range: 14-54 years) were treated with adalimumab for suppurative hidradenitis. Patients were followedup through telemedicine, but severe cases were admitted to ambulatories. 3 Patients who started biologic therapies before the occurrence of the epidemic did not interrupt their therapy, as recommended by the American Academy of Dermatology, three completed the induction phase, and two severe psoriatic patients started the biologic therapy during the epidemic. Although the prevalence of comorbidities associated with severe COVID-19 is higher in the psoriatic population, 158 patients exposed to biologic therapies did not develop COVID-19. Patients exposed to systemic treatment (including the smallmolecule apremilast) did not interrupt their medication course due to the infection. It is unclear if our cohort was exposed to SARS-CoV-2; however, our data are in line with those reported by other Italian dermatologic centers, 4,5 which highlighted the safety of biologic therapies. Furthermore, it can be hypothesized that the reduction of TNF-a and Il-17 can be associated with a less aggressive form of COVID-19. 6 A multicenter study which could enroll a larger sample could help better understand the relationship between exposure to biologic therapies and SARS-CoV-2 and the role played by confounding factors (e.g., age, comorbidities, and other pharmacological therapies). 

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