Clinical Benefits of Baricitinib Therapy for Severe Alopecia Areata
November 2023
in “
Dermatology and Therapy
”
TLDR Baricitinib treatment helps regrow eyebrow, eyelash, and scalp hair in severe alopecia areata, improving patients' emotional well-being and quality of life.
The post hoc analysis of the BRAVE-AA1 and BRAVE-AA2 trials involving 855 patients with severe alopecia areata found that a 52-week treatment with baricitinib led to significant hair regrowth. At week 52, 70% of patients treated with 4mg of baricitinib showed the greatest improvement in eyebrow and eyelash hair, while 39.0% had significant scalp hair regrowth. Even patients who did not achieve complete scalp hair regrowth experienced eyebrow and eyelash regrowth. The study also found a direct relationship between improvements in emotional distress and scalp hair regrowth, with a greater impact on quality of life for those who responded to the treatment. The study concluded that baricitinib therapy can lead to clinically meaningful regrowth in eyebrow and eyelash hair, even without complete scalp hair regrowth.