STL Index for: Tacrolimus

Currently, tacrolimus is emerging as a promising therapeutic alternative for the treatment of a number of dermatological diseases that have in common an aberrant immunologic response. This topical ointment is the first of its kind to be approved by the US FDA (December 2000), 0.1% for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis in adults, and 0.03% for children older than 2 years of age and for adults who are undergoing long-term intermittent therapy.

There are no specific antipruritic drugs on the market, but there are a high number of case reports and experimental investigations describing medications with antipruritic potency. It is therefore the aim of this article to review the major systemic antipruritic drugs and give a short overview on the different types of pruritus.