Research Progress on Targeted Therapies for Pemphigus Vulgaris and Bullous Pemphigoid: Mechanisms, Opportunities and Challenges
- 1Department of Dermatology, State Key Laboratory of Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China
- 2Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100005, China
Abstract
Autoimmune bullous diseases (AIBDs) are a group of severe disorders characterized by autoantibodies that attack structural proteins within the skin/mucosa, leading to blister and bullae formation. Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and bullous pemphigoid (BP) are among the most prevalent representative AIBDs. Traditional treatments involving corticosteroids and immunosuppressive agents are often associated with substantial adverse effects and a high rate of relapse. In recent years, the therapeutic landscape has evolved toward precision targeted therapies, encompassing biological agents, small-molecule drugs, and chimeric autoantibody receptor T cells. These novel interventions act on specific pathogenic targets, offering the potential to improve both efficacy and safety. This narrative review aims to summarize the latest progress in targeted therapies for PV and BP, compare the mechanisms of action, efficacy, and safety profiles of various treatments, and highlight current challenges and future research directions. In addition, therapeutic considerations for patients with concomitant psoriasis are discussed, given the increasing recognition of this comorbidity in clinical practice and the growing number of case reports describing the use of targeted agents in this specific population. Ultimately, the insights presented herein are intended to optimize clinical management strategies and guide future drug development.
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BibTeX
@article{mo2026research,
title = {{Research Progress on Targeted Therapies for Pemphigus Vulgaris and Bullous Pemphigoid: Mechanisms, Opportunities and Challenges}},
author = {Wang-Fei Mo and Ya-Gang Zuo},
journal = {International journal of molecular sciences},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27198779},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13665177},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Research Progress on Targeted Therapies for Pemphigus Vulgaris and Bullous Pemphigoid: Mechanisms, Opportunities and Challenges
AU - Wang-Fei Mo
AU - Ya-Gang Zuo
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - International journal of molecular sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27198779
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13665177
AB - Autoimmune bullous diseases (AIBDs) are a group of severe disorders characterized by autoantibodies that attack structural proteins within the skin/mucosa, leading to blister and bullae formation. Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and bullous pemphigoid (BP) are among the most prevalent representative AIBDs. Traditional treatments involving corticosteroids and immunosuppressive agents are often associated with substantial adverse effects and a high rate of relapse. In recent years, the therapeutic landscape has evolved toward precision targeted therapies, encompassing biological agents, small-molecule drugs, and chimeric autoantibody receptor T cells. These novel interventions act on specific pathogenic targets, offering the potential to improve both efficacy and safety. This narrative review aims to summarize the latest progress in targeted therapies for PV and BP, compare the mechanisms of action, efficacy, and safety profiles of various treatments, and highlight current challenges and future research directions. In addition, therapeutic considerations for patients with concomitant psoriasis are discussed, given the increasing recognition of this comorbidity in clinical practice and the growing number of case reports describing the use of targeted agents in this specific population. Ultimately, the insights presented herein are intended to optimize clinical management strategies and guide future drug development.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -