Etrasimod for Alopecia Areata: The Scenario for a Less Extensive and Moderate Form

The study on etrasimod for alopecia areata (AA) involved a Phase 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial over 52 weeks, focusing on adult patients with moderate to severe AA. Despite being safe and well-tolerated, etrasimod did not achieve the primary and secondary efficacy endpoints, showing no statistically significant improvement in the Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) scores compared to placebo. The results suggested a dose-dependent effect, but efficacy was only statistically relevant versus placebo. The study highlights the need for further research targeting moderate and milder cases of AA, emphasizing the importance of episode duration and SALT score stratification in treatment response evaluation.