Benefit and risk profile of tofacitinib for the treatment of alopecia areata: a systemic review and meta‐analysis
October 2019
in “Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology”
TLDR Tofacitinib is somewhat effective for alopecia areata, but more research is needed on its safety and long-term effects.
The systematic review and meta-analysis by Guo et al. from 2019 evaluated the safety and efficacy of tofacitinib in treating alopecia areata (AA) across 14 studies involving 275 patients. The findings indicated that tofacitinib was reasonably effective, with 54.0% of patients achieving good/complete hair regrowth and 26.1% showing partial response. However, 24.0% of patients experienced relapse, often due to stopping the medication. Side effects were generally mild, with the most common being upper respiratory infections, headaches, and acne. The study concluded that while tofacitinib shows promise for AA treatment, larger randomized clinical trials are necessary to confirm its safety and efficacy, and there is a need for more information on long-term outcomes and maintenance therapy.
View this study on onlinelibrary.wiley.com →
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