Two-thirds of Canadians living with eczema who took part in a survey say they have trouble finding a treatment that controls the condition over the long term, the Eczema Society of Canada (ESC) said as November's Eczema Awareness Month got under way. The findings come from the organization's survey, The Burden of Eczema in Canada, according to Benefits and Pensions Monitor.
The poll found that 65% of respondents said eczema affects their quality of life, and 54% said it affects their mental health. ESC's 2025 report said the survey was based on responses from 389 adults across Canada who said a health care provider had diagnosed them.
"These findings reinforce that eczema is more than a skin condition. It is a chronic disease that can profoundly affect physical health, mental well-being, and quality of life," said Amanda Cresswell-Melville, the society's executive director.
She said landmarks across the country will be lit blue during November to draw attention to the burden of eczema and to what the society describes as an urgent need for timely diagnosis, better care and fair access to effective treatments.
Why it matters
Atopic dermatitis, the most common form of eczema, is a long-term inflammatory skin condition. It causes dry, itchy skin and flare-ups that can crack, ooze and bleed. A 2025 consensus paper by 10 Canadian dermatologists put prevalence at roughly 15% among children and 4% among adults, Benefits and Pensions Monitor reports.
Beyond the physical symptoms, the survey points to costs that reach into household budgets and, for some, into decisions about whether to start a prescription at all. That makes the condition a concern for employers and the private drug plans they sponsor, not only for patients and clinicians.
Cost burdens fall unevenly
A quarter of respondents said treating their eczema had created a financial burden. Among people with severe eczema, that figure rose to 32%.
Money worries also appear to delay care. Thirteen per cent of respondents said financial concerns had put off the start of a prescription treatment, and among those with severe cases the share was 26%.
The survey also found differences by background. Respondents who identified as persons with skin of colour or as BIPOC reported a financial burden more often, at 39%, than white respondents, at 21%. Concern about being prescribed a medication their drug plan does not cover was among the worries respondents listed.
Skin drugs climb the plan rankings
Private insurers are seeing the demand. Skin disorders have become the second-largest drug category in Canadian private plans, accounting for 9.9% of total eligible spending, according to TELUS Health data reported in April. Spending in the category rose 13.6% in 2025.
TELUS Health linked the growth to biologics such as Dupixent moving into first-line use for atopic dermatitis and psoriasis. Medavie Blue Cross separately reported a 50.7% trend increase for biologics used in inflammatory skin conditions, as more atopic dermatitis patients shift to treatments that cost more than $2,000 a month.
"More people in Canada are using their drug plans and they're accessing treatments that were unattainable a few years ago," said Vicky Lee, a pharmacist and director of pharmacy consulting and professional services at TELUS Health.
Hand eczema and a new treatment option
ESC notes that hand eczema is often linked to work and can be made worse by frequent hand washing and contact with chemicals. Canada's Drug Agency estimates that chronic hand eczema affects 6.2% of adults. A separate ESC survey of 230 people with hand eczema, conducted between June and October 2025, described effects on work, relationships and mental health.
Treatment options have widened. Health Canada approved delgocitinib cream (Anzupgo) in August 2025. On Nov. 13, 2025, Canada's Drug Agency issued a final recommendation that public plans cover the drug with conditions, including a cost no higher than alitretinoin, though the agency said the product is not good value at the public list price. LEO Pharma, which makes the cream, said in September that it had completed a letter of intent with the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance, a step toward public reimbursement.
In December 2025, nursing associations wrote to Canada's chief nursing officer asking that chronic hand eczema be treated as a significant occupational health issue.
For plan sponsors and advisers, the figures mark skin-condition biologics as a cost line that is still growing. The ESC survey, meanwhile, highlights gaps in access, affordability and workplace understanding that members continue to face.
Watch whether the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance concludes a reimbursement deal for delgocitinib cream, and whether public plans adopt the Drug Agency's conditional recommendation.
