Advancing Dermatology Drug Development: Key Takeaways from AAD 2025
The 2025 American Academy of Dermatology’s (AAD) Annual Meeting provided invaluable insights into the future of dermatology drug development. With groundbreaking therapies, evolving regulatory landscapes, and an increasingly competitive market, the conference reinforced the urgency for sponsors to collaborate with agile and innovative dermatology CROs that can help them navigate this dynamic space.
TFS is committed to bringing these advancements into our clinical trial strategies, ensuring that sponsors are positioned for success. The conversations at AAD 2025 made it clear: dermatology drug development is more innovative and fast-moving than ever before.
The Innovation Driving Dermatology Forward
The breakthrough therapies presented at AAD 2025 showcased just how far dermatology has come in recent years. Conditions that once had limited treatment options—like prurigo nodularis, alopecia areata, and bullous pemphigoid—now have targeted, precision-based therapies that improve patient outcomes dramatically.
Take, for example, the recent Phase III trial success of topical ruxolitinib (JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor) for prurigo nodularis. This represents a huge leap forward for patients suffering from chronic itch, a symptom often dismissed due to the lack of effective treatments. Similarly, the FDA approval of nemolizumab (Nemluvio) for atopic dermatitis and PN underscores the momentum behind IL-31 pathway blockers—a game-changer for itch-driven diseases.
For CROs and sponsors, these breakthroughs mean clinical trials need to be designed with greater specificity. The industry is shifting away from broad immunosuppressants to precise, pathway-driven treatments, which demand smarter patient stratification, biomarker-driven endpoints, and innovative trial methodologies.
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Why These Advances Matter for Dermatology CROs
With these new treatment paradigms, dermatology CROs must evolve to ensure that clinical trials remain efficient, adaptive, and aligned with regulatory expectations. To successfully navigate this changing landscape, dermatology CROs should prioritize the following:
- Regulatory Strategy & Acceleration – The fast-tracking of dermatology approvals—as seen with nemolizumab—signals that regulators are increasingly receptive to first-in-class therapies. A strong dermatology CRO must offer expert regulatory guidance, ensuring trials are designed with approval pathways in mind and aligned with evolving agency expectations.
- Innovative Trial Design & Execution – With drugs like icotrokinra (an oral IL-23 receptor blocker for psoriasis) entering the market, the shift away from injectables toward oral and topical biologics requires CROs to rethink trial feasibility, patient adherence strategies, and long-term safety monitoring to ensure optimal outcomes.
- Diverse and Inclusive Patient Recruitment – Dermatology trials must be more inclusive, especially as biologics expand into pediatric dermatology—as seen with baricitinib’s success in adolescent alopecia areata patients. A dermatology CRO should implement innovative recruitment strategies and leverage real-world evidence collection to ensure representation across patient demographics.
Discover why diversity in dermatology trials is essential for effective treatments. Read more.
What This Means for Sponsors Looking for a Dermatology CRO Partner
The dermatology field is growing at an unprecedented rate, with the global dermatology drug market projected to hit $62 billion by 2034. But growth brings competition—and sponsors need a dermatology CRO that understands how to differentiate their assets in an increasingly crowded market. When looking for your next partnership, ensure that they offer alignment with the latest scientific discoveries, leverage real-world data and patient-centric endpoints, and that their trial methodologies account for novel biologics, oral immunomodulators, and advanced topicals to ensure a successful trial.
AAD 2025 reinforced that the future of dermatology belongs to precision medicine, innovative trial designs, and CROs that can adapt to this rapidly changing environment. Our mission is to help sponsors bring transformative dermatology treatments to patients—faster, smarter, and more effectively than ever before. If you’d like to explore how TFS can help drive your dermatology clinical development forward, contact us today.
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