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FAQ

Who runs this website and how is it funded?

This website is based out of Women’s College Hospital in Toronto, Canada. The research behind our work is conducted by academic researchers at Women’s College Hospital, the University of Toronto and other international academic centres (see About Us section) without any specific funding for this project. The website is funded by grants from the Eczema Society of Canada and Innovation Fund of the Alternate Funding Plan for the Academic Health Sciences Centres of Ontario. This research and website did not receive any funding from the pharmaceutical industry.

Where does the research come from?

The analyses presented in this website are based on our systematic review and network meta-analysis of systemic immunomodulatory treatments for eczema (atopic dermatitis). That analysis takes results from clinical trials on different medications that are already published and synthesizes them to compare all medications simultaneously.

Why are there drugs missing from the treatment options list?

The treatment options presented are based on our network meta-analysis, which incorporates the results of published trials for different medications. If there is not enough data for a specific treatment, we cannot include it in our analysis. For example, mycophenolate is an oral medication used for eczema but we did not have data to include it in our analysis.

What is the difference between the Patient and Clinician sides?

The results presented to patients and clinicians are the same. We have made separate sites for clinicians and patients so that we can tailor the way results are presented to different users.

I have feedback to give, who do I contact?

We welcome feedback on our site so that we can make improvements. Please send comments to eczematherapies@wchospital.ca.

Why is phototherapy not included as a treatment option?

Phototherapy is a treatment option for people with eczema (atopic dermatitis) that is extensive and not responding to topical medication. It is not included in our website as our research focuses on systemic medication.

Why are there no results available for children? Why are there no results available for trials beyond 16 weeks duration?

Our network meta-analysis can only be conducted if there are sufficient trials published on enough medications with specific durations and in specific populations. As of now, there are not enough trials in children or of durations longer than 16 weeks to run analyses. We hope that this will change with future updates as new research is published.