An Open Label Clinical Trial of Abatacept (CTLA4-Ig) for Alopecia Areata

This open-label clinical trial investigated the use of Abatacept, a recombinant fusion protein, in treating alopecia areata (AA) in 15 patients with moderate to severe cases. Over 24 weeks, 14 patients completed the treatment without serious adverse events. One patient achieved over 90% hair regrowth, meeting the primary endpoint of 50% regrowth, while 10 others experienced regrowth between 6.1% and 91%. Gene expression analysis showed molecular resolution in the primary responder and suggested potential for further response in others with higher drug concentration or longer treatment. The study indicated that Abatacept might be beneficial for a subset of AA patients.