Tapinarof Topical
Tapinarof is a topical skin treatment used for plaque psoriasis in adults and atopic dermatitis in adults and children 2 years and older.
🧬 Where this information comes from Click to expand
The clinical label records used on this page are FDA-filed Structured Product Labeling (SPL) retrieved through openFDA. We identified 1 clinical label set within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, strengths, and NDC product-record counts are built separately from matching FDA National Drug Code Directory records. The linked DailyMed document is a representative official source for verification, not the page’s only clinical source. View the linked label on DailyMed →
📖 Tapinarof Topical: Patient Information Guide
A plain-language walkthrough of Tapinarof Topical — what it treats, how it works, how it’s taken, side effects, warnings and interactions. Tap any section to expand it.
🎯What it's used for▾
Tapinarof topical is approved for two skin conditions, with product-specific and age-specific distinctions:
- Plaque psoriasis — Vtama cream, 1% is approved for adults only. It has not been studied or approved for plaque psoriasis in children.
- Atopic dermatitis (eczema) — Vtama cream, 1% is approved for adults and children 2 years of age and older. It has not been approved for children under 2 years old.
⚙️How it works▾
Tapinarof is an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonist — that means it binds to and activates a specific protein called the AhR found in skin cells. Activating this receptor is believed to help regulate the abnormal immune responses and skin cell behavior that cause conditions like psoriasis and eczema. The precise steps by which this leads to clearer, calmer skin are not yet fully understood.
💊How it's taken▾
Apply a thin layer of Vtama cream to the affected skin areas once daily. No food restrictions apply since this is a topical treatment. Wash your hands after applying unless your hands are the treatment area. Do not use it on the eyes, in the mouth, or vaginally — it is only for the skin. Always follow your prescriber's and the product label's instructions for how long to continue treatment.
🤒Side effects — in detail▾
The most common side effects vary slightly depending on the condition being treated:
- Plaque psoriasis: folliculitis (inflamed hair follicles), nasopharyngitis (cold-like symptoms), contact dermatitis, headache, itching, and influenza-like illness
- Atopic dermatitis: upper respiratory tract infection, folliculitis, lower respiratory tract infection, headache, asthma, vomiting, ear infection, pain in a limb, and abdominal pain
- A small number of people developed hives (urticaria) during trials
Folliculitis and contact dermatitis were the most common reasons people stopped using Vtama cream in clinical trials. If you develop painful, spreading bumps at the application site or signs of an allergic reaction like hives, contact your doctor promptly.
⚠️Warnings & precautions▾
- Folliculitis risk: About 20% of adults with plaque psoriasis and 9% of those with atopic dermatitis developed folliculitis (inflamed hair follicles) during trials — watch for small red or tender bumps at the application site.
- Skin irritation: Contact dermatitis occurred in 7% of psoriasis patients; let your doctor know if irritation worsens.
- Pregnancy: There is not enough human data to confirm safety in pregnancy. Animal studies at high doses showed some effects on fetal development. Discuss the risks and benefits with your doctor.
- Breastfeeding: It is not known if tapinarof passes into human breast milk. Animal data suggest the drug can be present in milk. Talk to your doctor about whether to continue, pause, or adjust breastfeeding.
- Children under 2 and pediatric psoriasis: Safety and effectiveness have not been established in children under 2 or in children with plaque psoriasis — do not use in these groups.
- Eyes, mouth, vaginal use: Vtama cream is not intended for these areas — avoid contact.
🔀What it interacts with▾
Based on laboratory studies, tapinarof does not appear to meaningfully interact with most common drugs processed by the liver's enzyme systems:
- Tapinarof does not inhibit or induce the major CYP liver enzymes (including CYP2C9, CYP2D6, CYP3A4, and others) — so it is unlikely to raise or lower levels of many common medications
- Tapinarof does not affect major drug transporter proteins in the body
This is not a complete list of interactions. Always talk with your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
📋Before taking it▾
- Pregnant or trying to conceive: Human safety data are limited — discuss with your doctor before starting Vtama cream
- Breastfeeding: Unknown if tapinarof passes into human milk — weigh benefits and risks with your doctor
- Children under 2: Vtama cream is not approved for this age group for any condition
- Children with psoriasis: Vtama cream is not approved for plaque psoriasis in children of any age
- Older adults (65+): No significant differences in safety or effectiveness were seen in clinical trials, but always inform your doctor of your complete health history
📡Pharmacodynamics — effects in the body▾
The pharmacodynamics of Vtama cream — meaning its measurable effects on the body — are not fully characterized. At the approved dosage, Vtama cream does not cause a clinically meaningful prolongation of the QTc interval (a measure of the heart's electrical timing), which is reassuring from a heart-safety standpoint.
🔬Pharmacokinetics — how your body processes it▾
Tapinarof is absorbed through the skin in relatively small amounts. In adults with plaque psoriasis, drug levels in the blood did not build up with repeated daily use, and the majority of blood samples in studies had no measurable drug at all. In children with atopic dermatitis, blood levels were somewhat higher than in adults, particularly in younger children (ages 2–6), likely because children often have a larger proportion of their body surface area affected. Once absorbed, tapinarof binds extensively to plasma proteins (about 99%) and is broken down by the liver through several pathways, including oxidation and conjugation reactions.
📦How to store it▾
- Store at 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F) excursions permitted between 15°C and 30°C (59°F and 86°F) . Do not freeze. Protect from exposure to excessive heat.
📄 Written from Tapinarof Topical’s FDA-approved label information, summarized in plain language with AI, and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Every point is grounded in that labeling — nothing is invented. How we use AI →
Supplements & herbs that interact with Tapinarof Topical
3 supplements and herbal products have documented interactions with Tapinarof Topical in the licensed clinical database we use. Most are manageable — but your pharmacist should know about everything you take, including vitamins and herbals.
- Moderate · 2
- Minor · 1
Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — see our data sources & update cadence. Not medical advice: an interaction being documented does not mean it will happen to you; do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.
🩺 Pharmacist Counseling Corner
Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Tapinarof Topical — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.
What exactly is Vtama cream used for? ▾
How do I apply it, and are there any special instructions? ▾
What side effects should I watch out for? ▾
Will it interact with my other medications? ▾
Is it safe to use if I'm pregnant or breastfeeding? ▾
Can my child use Vtama cream? ▾
Is Tapinarof Topical available over the counter? ▾
When was Tapinarof Topical first available? ▾
Who makes Tapinarof Topical? ▾
💬 Answers drafted from Tapinarof Topical’s FDA-approved label information, summarized in plain language with AI, and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Grounded in that labeling — nothing is made up. How we use AI →
🧰 Keep exploring
💊 How Tapinarof Topical comes
Tapinarof Topical is available in 1 form. Different forms and brands can have different approved uses, doses, schedules, and directions. Follow the instructions for your exact product, and do not switch forms without guidance from your prescriber or pharmacist.
Topical cream, ointment or gel
How this form is used
- Vtama cream is used to treat plaque psoriasis in adults
- Vtama cream is used to treat atopic dermatitis in adults and children 2 years of age and older
- Vtama cream: apply a thin layer to affected skin areas once daily
- Vtama cream: wash hands after applying, unless the hands are the area being treated
- Vtama cream is for skin use only — do not use it in or around the eyes, mouth, or vaginal area
- Vtama cream: follow your prescriber's guidance on which areas to treat and how long to continue
📊 Tapinarof Topical across the U.S. market
How Tapinarof Topical appears in the FDA’s National Drug Code Directory — including its dosage forms, strengths, brand names, manufacturers, and FDA-listed product records. These are directory records, not sales or prescription volume.
Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.
📈 How widely Tapinarof Topical is used
A general measure of how commonly Tapinarof Topical is prescribed, based on Medicaid — one of the largest public drug programs. The figure below is prescriptions filled in Q1–Q4 2025, summed across every form and brand of the drug.
Think of this as a proxy for how widely Tapinarof Topical is used, drawn from freely available public data. Medicaid is just one program — these numbers don’t include Medicare, other government coverage, or commercial and cash-pay prescriptions, so real-world use is higher than what’s shown here.
How commonly is Tapinarof Topical prescribed? Of the 1,596 medications we measure, Tapinarof Topical ranks #729 by Medicaid prescriptions — more than 54% of them.
Utilization by Tapinarof Topical product
Pick a product to see its own Medicaid numbers. Each chip is one clinical product — a specific strength & dosage form as defined by RxNorm — with brand-name and generic versions combined.
tapinarof 10 MG/ML Topical Cream
Summed across the 1 of 1 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 2602301
Shares are of the Medicaid prescriptions shown here. Product grouping follows RxNorm (the National Library of Medicine’s drug terminology), so “one product” means one strength & dosage form regardless of manufacturer. Dollar figures are gross Medicaid reimbursement before mandatory rebates — rebates (often large, especially for brand-name drugs) are confidential, so actual net cost to Medicaid is lower than shown.
Source: Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data (CMS), aggregated by generic ingredient — summed across every NDC (all brands, strengths, salt forms and dosage forms) of Tapinarof Topical, and across all states and both fee-for-service and managed-care claims. A general popularity signal; it excludes Medicare, commercial insurance and cash prescriptions, so it is not total U.S. use. Based on the 1 of 1 listed Tapinarof Topical NDCs with Medicaid activity.
🔍 Compare Tapinarof Topical products
A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Tapinarof Topical — across manufacturers, strengths, and dosage forms, grouped by form with each product’s manufacturer and how the FDA approved it. The same medicine may be made and packaged by different companies, so a single drug can have many directory entries. (It’s also why a refill can look different — a new shape, color, or box — even though it contains the same medication.)
| Strength | Route | Manufacturer / Labeler | Category ⓘ | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💊Topical cream, ointment or gel | ||||
| 10 mg/1000 mg | Topical | Dermavant Sciences, Inc. | NDA | View NDC → |
| 10 mg/g | Topical | Dermavant Sciences, Inc. | NDA | View NDC → |
| 10 mg/g | Topical | Organon LLC | NDA | View NDC → |
| 1 kg/kg | — | ThermoFisher Scientific Cork | BULK INGREDIENT | View NDC → |
Showing 4 of 4 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 4 Tapinarof Topical NDCs →
📈 What people report — real-world data (FDA FAERS)
After a medicine reaches the market, patients, doctors and drugmakers can send the FDA reports of problems they think may be linked to it. Here’s what’s been reported for Tapinarof Topical — a signal of what to watch for, not proof the drug caused it.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). These are voluntary reports — they don’t prove the drug caused the effect, and counts reflect how often something was reported, not how often it actually happens. Reports also often name the very problem the medicine is taken for — a common reason to file one is that the drug didn’t help — so for a pain reliever you may see “pain” high on the list; that points to why the report was filed, not to the drug causing the symptom. This counts every report that lists Tapinarof Topical in any role, so the total runs higher than the FDA’s official dashboard, which counts only cases where the drug is the suspect. For the authoritative figures, see the FDA FAERS Public Dashboard. Always talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
🏛️ The road to your pharmacy
How Tapinarof Topical went from FDA review to the pharmacy shelf — the key milestones in its regulatory journey.
Source: Drugs@FDA.
🚨 Recall history
A recall is when a specific batch of a medicine is pulled from the market — usually a manufacturing issue, not a problem with the drug itself. Class I is most serious, Class III least.
Source: openFDA drug enforcement (recall) reports.
RxNorm Concept Web — From Ingredient to Every Form and Strength
This page starts with one ingredient concept (IN). The branches below show its dose-form concepts (SCDF), then the available clinical drug and strength concepts (SCD). Combination products remain separate concepts with their own pages.
RxCUI 2602286 1 dose form · 1 strength
-
Dose form (SCDF) Topical Cream RxCUI 2602300In current FDA listingsClinical drug / strength (SCD) 10 MG/MLRxCUI 2602301
Look up RxCUI 2602286 in the RxCUI Atlas →
RxNorm is the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s normalized drug vocabulary. Its concept hierarchy can include forms that are not currently marketed; the status on each branch compares that concept with current FDA listings. RxCUIs identify vocabulary concepts, not individual packages or manufacturers.
📦 Supply & shortage status
Whether Tapinarof Topical is in short supply in the U.S. right now, plus any shortage history the FDA has on record. A shortage usually reflects a manufacturing or demand issue — not a safety problem with the drug.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Drug Shortages database.
🏷️ Sold under these brand names
🏭 Manufacturers & labelers
RxNorm drug class
Tapinarof Topical belongs to the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Agonist class.
Classified by RxNorm RxClass — the U.S. National Library of Medicine's standardized drug-classification service (Established Pharmacologic Class from the FDA, the ATC drug family from the WHO, and mechanism of action). Reference only, not medical advice.
🔬 Where this comes from
Core label, product, RxNorm, safety, and utilization data on this page come from the sources identified below. AI-written, editorial, and licensed sections are labeled separately.
How we combine label and product data
HelloPharmacist combines public FDA and NLM records; we don’t author the underlying clinical facts. We identified 1 FDA-filed SPL label set within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. The representative label is the starting point for the displayed reference monograph; the 12 largest stored in-scope SPL records, which may include that representative, are compared section by section, and the longest available version of each section is retained. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, product-listed strengths, and product-record counts are aggregated separately from ingredient-matched FDA NDC Directory records; package records listed above are associated with the linked SPL; and the normalized concept hierarchy comes from NLM RxNorm.
Where a section is identified as AI-written, its plain-language text is generated from bounded label evidence. New draft drug pages remain in the admin review queue before first publication. Organon LLC is the representative DailyMed label linked for verification and dates; it is not the sole source used for the page.
This is general education, not medical advice — always consult your doctor or pharmacist about your medications and any medical condition. For the exact wording of the linked representative label, view that label on DailyMed; some displayed composite sections may come from other in-scope SPL labels. Learn how we use AI and our data sources & update cadence.