BEIJING, July 17 (Xinhua) -- The International Medical Derm Summit 2025 was recently held in east China's Shanghai Municipality, gathering over 150 leading dermatologists from home and abroad for exchanges on skin conditions that severely affect quality of life and require long-term coordinated care.
Organized by the Chinese Aging Well Association (CAWA), the summit opened with in-depth discussions on atopic dermatitis (AD), a chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting approximately 230 million people globally, including 70 million in China.
Experts explored the full AD care continuum, from early diagnosis and targeted therapies to long-term management strategies backed by real-world clinical data. Chinese experts also presented updates to the 2025 edition of China's national AD treatment guidelines, which highlight a shift from conventional corticosteroids toward personalized precision treatments that improve patients' quality of life.
Another key focus was the AHEAD registry (Abrocitinib CHinese rEgistry on AD), the world's largest real-world study of JAK1 inhibitors for AD. Led by Chinese researchers and involving over 1,000 patients across 42 clinical sites, the registry provides critical evidence to shape both local and global treatment standards.
The summit also addressed alopecia areata (AA) and vitiligo (VIT), autoimmune skin conditions that not only affect physical appearance but also cause significant emotional distress, especially among young patients. Discussions emphasized moving beyond one-size-fits-all approaches, underscoring how personalized, compassionate care improves clinical outcomes and patients' lives.
Professor Xiang Leihong from the Department of Dermatology of Huashan Hospital, Fudan University stressed "we need to actively communicate with patients to establish a shared decision-making framework based on treatment goals and patient expectations." She advocated for combination therapies and long-term planning to slow disease progression, restore pigment, and build patient confidence.
The two-day summit highlighted China's growing role in advancing dermatological best practices. Dynamic exchanges between Chinese and international experts pointed out how local innovation, clinical leadership, and real-world impact are elevating global dermatology standards.
"This summit has established a high-level academic exchange platform between the East and the West," said Zhang Jianzhong, chairman of the Chinese Medical Association's 13th Committee of the Chinese Society of Dermatology (CSD). "It offers new approaches to standardized diagnosis, treatment, and full-course management of chronic inflammatory skin diseases worldwide."
"We hope that this successful gathering will serve as a pivotal practice in implementing the Healthy China 2030 initiative and open a new chapter in skin health by bringing together world-leading dermatology experts," said Wen Zhongyi, vice-president and secretary general of CAWA.
"Pfizer has long partnered with the Chinese dermatology community to drive the discipline forward," said Felix Cao, chief medical officer of Pfizer China. "We will continue to deepen industry-academic collaboration to advance innovation that benefits more patients."
(Contributed by Hu Jiefei, Ding Yawen, and edited by Su Dan with Xinhua Silk Road, sudan@xinhua.org)
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