The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued Technology Appraisal Guidance (TAG) recommending the reimbursement of delgocitinib cream (Anzupgo, LEO Pharma) for the treatment of adult patients with moderate-to-severe chronic hand eczema (CHE), for whom topical corticosteroids are inadequate or inappropriate, in England and Wales.
Delgocitinib cream is now the first approved topical pan-Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor treatment for this indication in England and Wales. The TAG means that NHS organizations in England and Wales must now make delgocitinib cream available for healthcare professionals to prescribe.
“The NICE recommendation marks a pivotal moment in the treatment of moderate-to-severe chronic hand eczema in the United Kingdom,” says Richard Warren, BSc (Hons), MBChB (Hons), MRCP, PhD, a Professor of Dermatology and Therapeutics and Honorary Consultant Dermatologist at the University of Manchester and Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust In Manchester, England. “There have been limited treatment options for these patients. This recommendation provides a new, evidence-based option—an important step for patients living with what can be a debilitating disease.”
The NICE committee concluded that delgocitinib cream is an effective treatment for improving symptoms of CHE, based on evidence from the DELTA 1, 2, 3, and DELTA FORCE trials. It advised that delgocitinib should be started and monitored by a healthcare professional with experience in diagnosing and treating CHE in secondary care. Clinicians should also consider how skin color may influence the assessment of disease severity and make any adjustments needed.
The recommendation from NICE follows regulatory approvals of delgocitinib cream, among others including by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in September 2024, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in November 2024, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in July 2025 for the treatment of moderate to severe Chronic Hand Eczema in adults.
