Most patients prescribed thalidomide for a dermatological condition other than actinic prurigo cease the therapy within two years, according to an Australian case series.

Victorian dermatologists describe outcomes for 28 dermatology patients treated with thalidomide at a large Melbourne hospital in a research letter to the Australasian Journal of Dermatology.

The patients had a range of dermatoses that were recalcitrant to other therapies, including actinic prurigo, cutaneous lupus erythematosus, prurigo nodulitis, prurigo nodularis and single cases of other conditions.

All but four patients were responsive to the drug and most patients reached their best response within a month of starting.