TLDR Continuous baricitinib is needed to keep hair regrowth in severe alopecia areata.
The BRAVE-AA1 trial investigated the effects of baricitinib withdrawal and retreatment in 654 adults with severe alopecia areata. After 1 year of treatment, patients who responded were either continued on baricitinib or switched to a placebo. By week 152, 80% of those switched to placebo lost their hair regrowth benefits, compared to only 7% who continued baricitinib. Upon retreatment, 63% of patients on 2 mg and 87.5% on 4 mg regained their hair regrowth. The study concludes that continuous baricitinib therapy is necessary to maintain hair regrowth in severe alopecia areata.
1 citations,
October 2023 in “Dermatology and therapy” Some treatments for severe hair loss work but often have side effects, with baricitinib showing the most promise.
6 citations,
May 2023 in “Drugs” Baricitinib helps regrow hair in adults with severe alopecia better than a placebo and is approved for treatment, but long-term effects are still unknown.
20 citations,
March 2023 in “American Journal of Clinical Dermatology” Baricitinib improved severe hair loss in adults over 52 weeks and was safe to use.
148 citations,
May 2022 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” Baricitinib was effective in treating alopecia areata in two major trials.
421 citations,
April 2012 in “The New England Journal of Medicine” Alopecia Areata is an autoimmune condition causing hair loss with no cure and treatments that often don't work well.
148 citations,
March 2019 in “Journal of autoimmunity” Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease causing patchy hair loss, often with other autoimmune disorders, but its exact causes are unknown.
4 citations,
November 2018 in “JAAD case reports” Alopecia areata can sometimes appear as a straight line of hair loss instead of round patches.
May 2018 in “Journal of cosmetology & trichology” Combining platelet-rich plasma therapy with prostaglandin-F eye drops can significantly regrow hair in alopecia universalis.
