Tacrolimus: 10 years of successful clinical application

Abstract

Tacrolimus (FK506) is the first drug from the new class of drugs - calcineurin inhibitors. It has a great potential and can change the current approaches to treatment of different dermatoses. Topical forms of Tacrolimus are activated due to the effect on T-lymphocyte signal transduction, and they also inhibit gene transcription. As a result, the T-cell response to antigens is alleviated. Percutaneous absorption of Tacrolimus in affection foci is higher than in healthy skin. Due to this a smaller amount of the drug is absorbed by the skin as long as the skin is healed. Systemic absorption of Tacrolimus is low in the course of treatment. The maximum clinical experience has been gained in the field of applying Tacrolimus for treatment of atopic dermatitis. In a number of clinical studies, 0.03-0.3% Tacrolimus ointment efficiently reduced the severity of symptoms and course of atopic dermatitis in adults and children. Moreover, topical treatment with Tacrolimus did not involve any substantial toxic effects. The patients most often complained of local irritations in the area where the ointment was applied, which were transient by nature and did not demand the drug withdrawal. Today Tacrolimus is a valuable and safer alternative to glucocorticosteroids for treatment of atopic dermatitis. It can also be used for treating other dermatoses, which demands additional all-round examination.