ELIDEL (pimecrolimus) Cream 1% for Skin

ELIDEL Cream is a prescription medicine used (used topically) to treat mild to moderate eczema (atopic dermatitis). It is used by people (adults and children aged 2 years and older) who do not have a weakened immune system. It is used on the skin only for short periods, and if needed, treatment may be repeated with breaks in between. ELIDEL Cream should only be used if other prescription medicines have not worked for you or if your doctor recommends that other prescription medicines should not be used.

It is not known if ELIDEL Cream is safe to use in people who have a weakened immune system.

ELIDEL Cream should not be used in children under 2 years of age.

Do not use ELIDEL Cream if you are allergic to pimecrolimus or any of the ingredients in ELIDEL Cream.

Before using ELIDEL Cream, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

• have a skin disease called Netherton’s syndrome.

• have any infection on your skin including herpes or chicken pox.

• have a weakened immune system.

• are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. It is not known if ELIDEL Cream can harm your unborn baby.

• are breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed. It is not known if ELIDEL Cream can pass into your breast milk.

• Use ELIDEL Cream exactly as your doctor tells you to use it.

• Stop ELIDEL Cream when the signs and symptoms of eczema, such as itching, rash, and redness go away, or as directed by your doctor.

• Wash your hands before using ELIDEL Cream. If you apply ELIDEL Cream after a bath or shower, make sure your skin is dry.

• Apply a thin layer of ELIDEL Cream only to the affected skin areas, two times each day, as directed by your doctor.

• Use the smallest amount of ELIDEL Cream to help control the signs and symptoms of eczema.

• If you apply ELIDEL Cream to another person, or if you have eczema and are not treating your hands, it is important for you to wash your hands with soap and water after applying ELIDEL Cream. This should remove any cream left on your hands.

• Do not shower, bathe, or swim right after applying ELIDEL Cream.

• You can use a moisturizer after applying ELIDEL Cream.

• Call your doctor if your symptoms get worse with ELIDEL Cream or if your symptoms do not improve after 6 weeks of treatment.

• You should avoid using sun lamps, tanning beds, or get treatment with ultraviolet light therapy during treatment with ELIDEL Cream.

• Limit your time in the sun during treatment with ELIDEL Cream even when the medicine is not on your skin. If you need to be outside wear a loose-fitting cloth that protects the treated area from the sun and make sure to wear sunscreen. It is not known how ELIDEL Cream may affect your skin with exposure to ultraviolet light.

• Do not cover the skin being treated with dressings, bandages, or wraps.

• ELIDEL Cream should be used on the skin only. Do not get ELIDEL Cream in your eyes, nose, mouth, vagina, or mucous membranes. If you get ELIDEL Cream in any of these areas, wipe off any ELIDEL Cream from the affected area, and then rinse the area well with cold water.

• Do not swallow ELIDEL Cream, If you do, call your doctor.

• Avoid using ELIDEL Cream on skin areas that have cancers or precancers.

The most common side effect at the skin application site is a feeling of warmth or burning. These side effects are usually mild or moderate, happen during the first few days of treatment, and usually clear up in a few days.

Other common side effects include a common cold or stuffy nose, headache, sore throat, cough, flu (influenza), fever, and viral infection. Some people may get viral skin infections (like chicken pox, cold sores, shingles, or warts) or swollen lymph nodes.

Active ingredient: pimecrolimus

Inactive ingredients: benzyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, citric acid anhydrous, sodium cetostearyl sulphate, monoand di-glycerides, oleyl alcohol, propylene glycol, sodium hydroxide, stearyl alcohol, triglycerides, and water.

Yes, Elidel is good for treating perioral dermatitis and many people have seen a positive response using it. Make sure to consult a doctor about how long you can use it.

Yes, Elidel is good for treating rosacea. There are studies suggesting that 1% pimecrolimus cream can be used for patients with mild to moderate inflammatory rosacea.

It may also be used in the treatment of erythrotelangiectatic and papulopustular rosacea and may be considered in patients with the recalcitrant disease.

Make sure to consult a doctor about how long you can use it.

Using Elidel cream for continuous periods of time may cause rosaceiform dermatitis.

Yes, Elidel cream can be a good option for treating vitiligo but should be used in combination with other available treatment options to fully treat vitiligo lesions.

Yes, Elidel cream is effective in treating oral lichen planus with long-lasting therapeutic effects and is therefore a promising therapeutic option for oral lichen planus.

It also helps in reducing pain, and erythema, decreasing erosion size, and improving the overall severity of the disease.

Yes, Elidel cream 1% is a good option for treating pityriasis alba and may represent an alternative treatment option.

Yes, Elidel cream can be used for seborrheic dermatitis and might work for you. A lot of people have had positive experiences with it.

Elidel cream is so expensive because of various reasons:

• No single-payer negotiation: the U.S. government won’t negotiate prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers like how other countries do making Elidel cream expensive.
• Lack of government regulation: the U.S. government does not regulate how much medications can cost whereas other countries do. Therefore pharmaceutical companies will set their own prices for medications and this leads to high prices.
• Other reasons: like a lack of comparative research across drugs, prices rising faster than inflation, drug patents, and exclusivity are some reasons why elidel cream is so expensive.