Crisaborole ointment, 2%, a nonsteroidal phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor, may be effective as vehicle maintenance therapy in patients with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis, according to a study published by Eichenfield et al in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology. In the phase III CrisADe CONTROL study, researchers randomly assigned 270 patients aged 3 years and older who had a 5% or greater treatable body surface area to receive either crisaborole or vehicle once daily at a ratio of 1:1. After a follow-up of 52 weeks, the researchers discovered that patients who received crisaborole experienced a longer median time of flare-free maintenance therapy compared with those who received vehicle (111 days vs 30 days) as well as more flare-free days (234.0 vs 199.4). Further, compared with those in the vehicle group, patients in the crisaborole group experienced a reduction in the average incidence of flares (0.96 vs 1.36). The researchers concluded that crisaborole may be a safe and effective treatment option for patients with mild-to-moderate atopic dermatitis.