Vtama (tapinarof) / Japan Tobacco, Guanhao Biotech, Organon - LARVOL DELTA

Targeting the AHR Pathway with Tapinarof to Restore T Cell Balance in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (ACR Convergence 2026) - "Tapinarof modulates the CXCL13-IL-22 axis in human CD4⁺ T cells in a manner comparable to other AHR agonists, including TCDD and FICZ, affecting cytokine production, phenotypic markers, and T cell subset distribution. Furthermore, tapinarof reduces plasmablast differentiation following Tfh cell priming. Collectively, these findings support the potential of tapinarof as a therapeutic candidate for SLE, supporting further studies to define its mechanism of action and evaluate its effects in human and preclinical models."

IO biomarker • Atopic Dermatitis • Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus • Dermatitis • Immunology • Inflammatory Arthritis • Lupus • Psoriasis • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus • CD4 • CD96 • CXCL13 • CXCR5 • ICOS • IL22 • PD-1

Organon…announced that a new real-world analysis of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) treated with VTAMA (tapinarof) cream, 1% will be on display at the 2026 Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference (Businesswire) - "The analysis, entitled Real World Effectiveness of Tapinarof 1% Cream for Atopic Dermatitis, evaluates VTAMA’s effectiveness in real-world settings, including improvements in physician-reported outcomes, including body surface area (BSA) and physician's global assessment (PGA), as well as patient-reported itch scores."

Patient reported outcomes • Real-world • Atopic Dermatitis

Localized comedones and perifollicular hyperpigmentation during tapinarof cream therapy: a case series. (PubMed, Skin Health Dis) - "One patient showed gradual improvement without additional treatment, whereas the remaining five showed no or minimal improvement during follow-up. Our cases provide important information on under-recognized adverse events during tapinarof therapy."

Journal • Atopic Dermatitis • Dermatitis • Dermatology • Immunology • Pain • Psoriasis

Tapinarof Cream 1% Once Daily in Atopic Dermatitis: Individual Patient EASI Responses from Pooled ADORING 1 and ADORING 2 Phase 3 Clinical Trials (EADV 2026) - "The proportion of patients achieving EASI response rates with tapinarof were statistically significant versus vehicle as early as Week 2, and continued through Week 8: EASI50 (83.4% vs 46.6%, P<0.0001), EASI75 (62.7% vs 25.6%, P <0.0001), EASI90 (32.8% vs 9.4%, P <0.0001), and EASI100 (13.3% vs 3.6%, P <0.0001). Conclusions Tapinarof monotherapy demonstrated rapid and sustained clinical improvements across multiple EASI thresholds over time in adult and pediatric patients with AD down to the age of 2 years."

Clinical • P3 data • Atopic Dermatitis • Dermatitis • Dermatology • Immunology • Plaque Psoriasis • Pruritus • Psoriasis

Organon Canada Announces the Approval and Availability of NDUVRA (Tapinarof Cream), 1%, a New Steroid-Free Topical Treatment for Moderate to Severe Atopic Dermatitis in Adult and Pediatric Patients 2 Years of Age and Older (Canada Newswire) - "NDUVRA (tapinarof cream) is a topical aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist formulated with tapinarof. Its approval for atopic dermatitis builds on a distinctly Canadian research story as tapinarof was discovered in Canada, and its clinical development has included participant enrolment at study sites across the country."

Canada approval • Launch Canada • Atopic Dermatitis

The Therapeutic Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor-Modulating Agent Tapinarof Restores Skin Barrier Dysfunction in a Mite Antigen-Induced Murine Model of Atopic Dermatitis. (PubMed, Int J Mol Sci) - "Tapinarof markedly increased filaggrin (FLG)- and loricrin (LOR)-positive areas in lesional skin compared with vehicle (FLG: 11.3% vs. 3.1%; LOR: 18.9% vs. 3.9%; both p < 0.05), restoring FLG to a level comparable to the no-treatment control, while LOR significantly exceeded it. These findings indicate that tapinarof may restore skin barrier function in allergen-induced AD via AHR-NRF2 and AHR-OVOL1 signaling, supporting its potential as a steroid-sparing topical therapy for long-term AD management."

Journal • Preclinical • Atopic Dermatitis • Dermatitis • Dermatology • Immunology • Pruritus • CYP1A1 • FLG • LORICRIN • NQO1

Tapinarof-Induced Folliculitis With Pathologic Analysis. (PubMed, J Dermatol) - No abstract available

Journal • Dermatopathology

Tapinarof Cream 1% in Atopic Dermatitis: Consistent Efficacy Over Time Across %BSA and Other Subgroups (ACAAI 2026) - No abstract available

Clinical • Late-breaking abstract • Atopic Dermatitis • Dermatitis • Dermatology • Immunology

Product Theater 4 (non-CME) - Organon : Discover the Science of VTAMA (ACAAI 2026) - "Sponsored by Organon Description Also visit Organon at Booth #507."

Modes of interaction between tapinarof and model lipid membranes mimicking stratum corneum lipid composition and related transdermal transport in human skin. (PubMed, Biochim Biophys Acta Biomembr) - "Molecular dynamic simulations revealed rapid insertion of TPN into the lipid bilayer at low concentrations, whereas higher concentrations promoted TPN self-association and membrane perturbation, characterized by decreased lipid order and membrane thickness together with increased area per lipid. Finally, we confirmed a dual behaviour of TPN ex vivo: it can accumulate in the human skin, but it is also sufficiently mobile to partially cross this barrier."

Journal

Tapinarof restrains IL-17-producing human memory T cells through metabolic reprogramming (ESDR 2026) - No abstract available

Dermatology • Inflammation • IL17A

Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Agonist-Based Phototherapy for Psoriasis: Combinational Therapy With Tapinarof and Narrowband Ultraviolet B. (PubMed, J Dermatol) - No abstract available

Journal • Dermatology • Immunology • Psoriasis

Successful Addition of Topical Tapinarof for Residual Psoriatic Lesions During Apremilast Therapy: A Case Report. (PubMed, Cureus) - "It remains possible that the topical treatment alone or the low baseline disease burden contributed to the rapid response. Further large-scale studies are needed to confirm the efficacy, safety, and generalizability of this combination strategy."

Journal • Dermatology • Gastric Cancer • Immunology • Inflammatory Arthritis • Oncology • Psoriasis • Psoriatic Arthritis • Rheumatology • Seronegative Spondyloarthropathies • Solid Tumor

Selective AhR Modulation by Tapinarof Reprograms Microglial Inflammation through the AhR-Nrf2 Axis. (PubMed, Toxicol Lett) - "Gene-silencing experiments showed that the effects of tapinarof were partly AhR-dependent and involved functional crosstalk with Nrf2. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that AhR activation is ligand- and context-dependent in activated microglia and supports further evaluation of selective AhR modulation as an approach for limiting microglial inflammatory responses."

Journal • CNS Disorders • Inflammation

Designing time-limited aryl hydrocarbon receptor drugs: A kinetic framework from the FICZ-CYP1A1 feedback axis. (PubMed, Drug Discov Today) - "Drawing on the mechanistic logic of the 6-formylindolo[3,2-b]carbazole (FICZ)-cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) axis, we propose a spatio-kinetic design framework built on three principles: optimizing ligand residence time over binding affinity, restricting activation to target tissues through pro-drug strategies, and preserving metabolic feedback to ensure self-terminating signaling. This framework offers a concrete path to AHR modulators that recapitulate the pulse-like physiology of endogenous pathways and thereby unlock the receptor's clinical potential in autoimmunity, cancer, and barrier disorders, while avoiding the chronic activation that has historically defined its toxicity."

Journal • Review • Oncology • CYP1A1

Oxidation pattern of tapinarof as a topical drug with potential to form Pi-stacking and dimers. (PubMed, Phys Chem Chem Phys) - "Its oxidative transformation leads to the formation of a keto group in the alkene part of TPN and then to a quinone and dimerization. Pi-stacking and H-bonds participate in the formation of non-covalent TPN-dimeric structures."

Journal

Adoring: A Study to Investigate Safety and Efficacy of Tapinarof Cream, 1% in Participants Ages 3 Months to < 24 Months With Atopic Dermatitis (clinicaltrials.gov) - P3 | N=187 | Active, not recruiting | Sponsor: Organon and Co | Recruiting ➔ Active, not recruiting | Trial completion date: Jan 2028 ➔ Aug 2027 | Trial primary completion date: Jan 2028 ➔ Aug 2027

Enrollment closed • Trial completion date • Trial primary completion date • Atopic Dermatitis • Dermatitis • Dermatology • Immunology • Pediatrics

Structural modification of imperatorin affords promising dual AhR/PDE4 modulators for anti-inflammatory therapy. (PubMed, Eur J Med Chem) - "The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a key nuclear transcription factor in immune regulation, but clinically relevant AhR agonists such as Tapinarof show limited efficacyas monotherapy for psoriasis, resulting in frequent combination with PDE4 inhibitors in clinical practice to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes because of the extensive crosstalk between AhR and PDE4 in inflammation. In the imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like mouse model, T29 effectively alleviated epidermal hyperplasia and inflammatory infiltration and strongly inhibited IL-17A/F via topical administration. These findings identify T29 as a promising active dual-targeting anti-inflammatory agent worthy of further development."

Journal • Dermatology • Immunology • Inflammation • Psoriasis • CYP1A1 • IL17A

Real-World Effectiveness, Treatment Course, and Safety of Tapinarof Cream 1% for Atopic Dermatitis and Plaque Psoriasis in Japan. (PubMed, J Dermatol) - "Tapinarof-containing treatment was associated with clinically meaningful improvement in AD and plaque psoriasis in routine practice, although frequent concomitant therapy, observed-case long-term analyses, and retrospective ascertainment limit causal and safety inferences."

Journal • Real-world evidence • Atopic Dermatitis • Dermatitis • Dermatology • Immunology • Pain • Psoriasis

Novel nonsteroidal topical therapies for pediatric atopic dermatitis: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. (PubMed, Front Immunol) - "Most active regimens improved IGA-TS versus vehicle, except tapinarof 0.5% once daily...Delgocitinib 0.5% twice daily ranked highest for IGA-TS and EASI-75, whereas difamilast 1% twice daily ranked highest for EASI-90...Further head-to-head, long-term, and age-stratified trials are needed. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/, identifier CRD420261400624."

Clinical • Journal • Retrospective data • Review • Atopic Dermatitis • Dermatitis • Dermatology • Immunology • Pediatrics

Comparison of Post-Inflammatory Pigment Alteration After Psoriasis Treatment (PIPA - Dermavant) (clinicaltrials.gov) - P2/3 | N=40 | Enrolling by invitation | Sponsor: Wake Forest University Health Sciences | Trial primary completion date: Jul 2026 ➔ Jan 2027 | Trial completion date: Dec 2026 ➔ Dec 2027

Trial completion date • Trial primary completion date • Dermatology • Immunology • Psoriasis

The role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonists in the management of inflammatory skin diseases: An expert consensus panel. (PubMed, Dermatol Online J) - "AhR agonists represent a distinct therapeutic class with a unique multimodal mechanism involving immune modulation across Th1/Th2/Th17/Th22 pathways, skin barrier normalization, and antioxidant activity; tapinarof demonstrates a favorable safety profile with no restrictions on anatomic site, body surface area, or duration of use; tapinarof may be used concomitantly with systemic therapies; tapinarof is appropriate as both initial and long-term therapy for psoriasis in adults and atopic dermatitis in patients aged 2 years and older; and nonsteroidal topical therapies are preferred for chronic inflammatory skin diseases, particularly on the face and intertriginous areas. AhR agonist therapy offers a clinically meaningful, advanced nonsteroidal option that addresses key limitations of traditional topical therapies in inflammatory skin disease management."

Journal • Atopic Dermatitis • Dermatitis • Dermatology • Immune Modulation • Immunology • Inflammation • Psoriasis

Pushing the Boundaries of Topical Therapy in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis: A Review of Baseline Disease Severity and Burden in Clinical Trials. (PubMed, Dermatol Ther (Heidelb)) - "Many patients with AD treated in clinical trials of topical therapies report high levels of disease burden, overlapping with some patients eligible for systemic therapies. These results suggest that advanced topical therapies may be effective in patients with more extensive AD."

Clinical • Journal • Review • Atopic Dermatitis • Dermatitis • Dermatology • Immunology

Organon…will present results from a post hoc analysis of pooled data from the Phase 3 pivotal trials, ADORING 1 and ADORING 2, evaluating the efficacy and safety of VTAMA cream versus vehicle today at the 2026 Society for Pediatric Dermatology Annual Meeting (Businesswire) - "The findings show that VTAMA cream demonstrated early and consistent improvements in disease severity-as measured by vIGA-AD and EASI75-across three pediatric age groups and adults with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis....VTAMA cream demonstrated consistent improvements in skin clearance (vIGA-AD response) compared to vehicle at week 8 across pediatric age groups: (i) 2–6 years: 56.3% vs. 11.8% (P<0.0001); (ii) 7–11 years: 44.9% vs. 23.8% (P=0.0172); (iii) 12–17 years: 48.8% vs. 13.4% (P<0.0001); (iv) ≥18 years: 38.0% vs. 18.1% (P=0.0280). VTAMA cream also showed consistent improvements in the proportion of patients achieving at least a 75% reduction in EASI75 at week 8."

P3 data • Retrospective data • Atopic Dermatitis

Topical Prescription Therapy for Psoriasis: An Expert Position Paper on Limitations of Published Guidelines and Treatment Selection With Updated Recommendations. (PubMed, J Clin Aesthet Dermatol) - "This expert position paper encourages decision-makers to work with clinicians in providing individualized, accessible care, rather than relying solely on treatment guidelines to establish utilization management protocols. It is crucial that clinical guidelines evolve in a timely manner to reflect new therapeutic developments. Following FDA-approved indications, step-through requirements for any topical psoriasis therapy need to be abandoned, as this results in delays in treatment for the patient, unnecessary healthcare costs, and wasted use of healthcare resources."

Journal • Review • Dermatology • Immunology • Psoriasis