Arcutis Biotherapeutics may still be waiting for a green light from the FDA for its seborrheic dermatitis therapy, but it’s wasting no time in getting the message out about this little-known condition.
Seborrheic dermatitis, also known as seb derm, is a common inflammatory skin condition affecting approximately 10 million people in the U.S. It leads to itchy red patches, greasy scales on the skin and white or yellow crusty flakes on the scalp
Despite its prevalence, Arcutis told Fierce Pharma Marketing that, on average, it takes 3.6 years from the onset of symptoms for a patient to seek a visit to their healthcare provider.
With a new drug and potential prescriptions to fill on the horizon, Arcutis aims to reduce the time between symptom onset and doctor visits. To facilitate this, the company is launching an educational campaign titled "Clearing Up Seb Derm" to raise awareness of the condition.
This campaign comes in the form of advice from dermatologists as well as personal stories from individuals living with seb derm.
“Clearing Up Seb Derm sheds light on the lack of information and understanding of seborrheic dermatitis, and how this condition has an impact beyond the skin and affects people’s everyday lives,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
The campaign also comes with a new website and images to help identify the condition, and it's also leaning on boosting connections. The idea is to encourage individuals with seb derm to connect with others who have the condition through a dedicated site called MySebDermTeam, designed to function like a social media platform for patients.
The hope is that by connecting with other patients, individuals can improve their ability to recognize their unique variations of seb derm and seek a diagnosis, which is ultimately the end goal of these campaigns.
This comes just a few months ahead of the FDA's official PDUFA date Dec. 16 for Roflumilast foam in seb derm. This therapy is a foam formulation of roflumilast, the PDE4 inhibitor found in AstraZeneca's oral chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treatment Daliresp.
It's also the primary ingredient in the company's new topical plaque psoriasis therapy Zoryve, although it's delivered slightly differently. Just last month, the pharmaceutical company launched its first direct-to-consumer ad campaign for the medication, known as the "Cream That Can," which has predominately been used across streaming platforms.