JAK Inhibitors for Alopecia Areata: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

April 2019 in “ JEADV. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology/Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology ”

Kevin Phan, Deshan F. Sebaratnam

JAK inhibitors alopecia areata oral administration topical therapy hair regrowth treatment cessation

TLDR JAK inhibitors are effective for treating alopecia areata, with most patients seeing hair growth after treatment.

The systematic review and meta-analysis on JAK inhibitors for alopecia areata (AA) analyzed 30 studies encompassing 289 cases. It found that 72.4% of patients responded to treatment, with 45.7% being good responders and 21.4% partial responders. The mean time to initial hair growth was 2.2 months, and complete hair regrowth took an average of 6.7 months. All 37 recurrences occurred after treatment cessation at an average of 2.7 months. Oral administration was more effective than topical therapy, and there was no significant difference in response rates between pediatric and adult cases. The study concluded that while there is promising evidence for the effectiveness of JAK inhibitors in AA, the evidence is of low quality, and larger randomized studies are needed to confirm these findings.

View this study on onlinelibrary.wiley.com →

Discuss this study in the Community →

Cited in this study

31 / 31 results

An Open-Label Pilot Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Tofacitinib in Moderate to Severe Patch-Type Alopecia Areata, Totalis, and Universalis

research An Open-Label Pilot Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Tofacitinib in Moderate to Severe Patch-Type Alopecia Areata, Totalis, and Universalis

130 citations, July 2018 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology”

Tofacitinib may help treat severe hair loss, but more research is needed.

research Topical 2% Tofacitinib for Children with Alopecia Areata, Alopecia Totalis, and Alopecia Universalis

49 citations, June 2018 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology”

Applying 2% tofacitinib cream helped some children with severe hair loss grow back hair.

research Nail Involvement in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Alopecia Areata Treated with Oral Tofacitinib

9 citations, May 2018 in “Journal of Dermatological Treatment”

Tofacitinib improves nail conditions in patients with severe hair loss and does not affect hair regrowth.

research Tofacitinib 2% Ointment, a Topical Janus Kinase Inhibitor, for the Treatment of Alopecia Areata: A Pilot Study of 10 Patients

48 citations, February 2018 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology”

Tofacitinib 2% ointment helped hair regrow in 3 out of 10 patients with alopecia areata, but caused side effects like scalp irritation and raised cholesterol in some.

research Tofacitinib for the Treatment of Severe Alopecia Areata in Adults and Adolescents

28 citations, January 2018 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology Symposium Proceedings”

Tofacitinib shows promise for treating severe hair loss in adults and teens, with many experiencing regrowth, but hair loss returns when treatment stops.

$Oral Tofacitinib Monotherapy in Korean Patients with Refractory Moderate-to-Severe Alopecia Areata: A Case Series$

research Oral Tofacitinib Monotherapy in Korean Patients with Refractory Moderate-to-Severe Alopecia Areata: A Case Series

44 citations, November 2017 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology”

Tofacitinib is effective and safe for treating severe hair loss in Korean patients.

research Oral Tofacitinib: A Promising Treatment in Atopic Dermatitis, Alopecia Areata, and Vitiligo

37 citations, October 2017 in “Clinical and Experimental Dermatology”

Oral tofacitinib shows promise in treating atopic dermatitis and alopecia areata, but only slight improvement in vitiligo.

research Complete Regrowth of Beard Hair with Ruxolitinib in an Alopecia Universalis Patient

22 citations, September 2017 in “Skin appendage disorders”

Ruxolitinib helped a man regrow his beard after years of hair loss.

research Brazilian Experience of Treating Alopecia Universalis with Novel Antirheumatic Therapy Tofacitinib: A Case Series

16 citations, July 2017 in “Rheumatology and Therapy”

Tofacitinib, a medication for arthritis, showed potential for treating severe hair loss in a small Brazilian case series, but more research is needed.

research Topical Janus Kinase Inhibitors for the Treatment of Pediatric Alopecia Areata

83 citations, July 2017 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology”

Topical JAK inhibitors may help children with alopecia areata regrow hair.

research A Case of Topical Ruxolitinib Treatment Failure in Alopecia Areata

30 citations, June 2017 in “Journal of cutaneous medicine and surgery”

Topical ruxolitinib failed to regrow hair in a 66-year-old with alopecia areata.

research Treatment of Alopecia Areata With Tofacitinib

78 citations, June 2017 in “JAMA Dermatology”

Tofacitinib helped regrow hair in people with severe alopecia, but side effects occurred and benefits stopped after treatment ended.

research Two Cases of Alopecia Areata Treated with Ruxolitinib: A Discussion of Ideal Dosing and Laboratory Monitoring

25 citations, March 2017 in “International Journal of Dermatology”

Ruxolitinib effectively and safely regrows hair in alopecia patients.

research Alopecia Universalis Unresponsive to Treatment with Tofacitinib: Report of a Case with a Brief Review of the Literature

8 citations, January 2017 in “Dermatology online journal”

Tofacitinib helped psoriasis but not alopecia universalis, needing more research.

$Successful Treatment of Refractory Alopecia Areata Universalis and Psoriatic Arthritis, But Not Plaque Psoriasis with Tofacitinib in a Young Woman$

research Successful Treatment of Refractory Alopecia Areata Universalis and Psoriatic Arthritis, But Not Plaque Psoriasis with Tofacitinib in a Young Woman

24 citations, January 2017 in “Acta dermato-venereologica”

Tofacitinib helped a young woman's severe hair loss and arthritis but not her plaque psoriasis.

research Tofacitinib for the Treatment of Severe Alopecia Areata and Variants: A Study of 90 Patients

238 citations, January 2017 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology”

Tofacitinib is effective and safe for severe hair loss, but full regrowth is less likely after 10 years of hair loss.

research Tofacitinib for the Treatment of Alopecia Areata and Variants in Adolescents

139 citations, January 2017 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology”

Tofacitinib helped regrow hair in most adolescents with alopecia areata, but more research is needed.

research Excellent Response to Tofacitinib Treatment in a Patient with Alopecia Universalis

16 citations, January 2017 in “Acta dermatovenerologica Alpina, Pannonica et Adriatica (Tiskana izd.)”

A patient with complete hair loss regrew all her hair using tofacitinib.

research Remarkable Improvement of Nail Changes in Alopecia Areata Universalis with 10 Months of Treatment with Tofacitinib: A Case Report

26 citations, October 2016 in “Case Reports in Dermatology”

A man with severe hair loss saw hair and nail improvement after 10 months on tofacitinib without side effects.

research Oral Ruxolitinib Induces Hair Regrowth in Patients with Moderate-to-Severe Alopecia Areata

196 citations, September 2016 in “JCI insight”

Ruxolitinib effectively regrows hair in most patients with severe hair loss.

research Safety and Efficacy of the JAK Inhibitor Tofacitinib Citrate in Patients with Alopecia Areata

222 citations, September 2016 in “JCI insight”

Tofacitinib is safe and effective for severe alopecia areata, but hair loss may return 2 months after stopping treatment.

research Treatment of an Alopecia Areata Patient with Tofacitinib Results in Regrowth of Hair and Changes in Serum and Skin Biomarkers

70 citations, July 2016 in “Experimental Dermatology”

A patient with alopecia areata regrew hair after taking tofacitinib and showed changes in certain blood and skin markers.

research Efficacy of Tofacitinib in Treatment of Alopecia Universalis in Two Patients

51 citations, June 2016 in “Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology”

Tofacitinib was effective in treating hair loss in two patients with alopecia universalis.

research Transient Efficacy of Tofacitinib in Alopecia Areata Universalis

39 citations, April 2016 in “Case Reports in Dermatology”

Tofacitinib temporarily regrew hair in a man with alopecia, but its effects didn't last.

research Topical Ruxolitinib for the Treatment of Alopecia Universalis

96 citations, April 2016 in “JAMA dermatology”

research Tofacitinib Citrate for the Treatment of Nail Dystrophy Associated with Alopecia Universalis

41 citations, April 2016 in “JAMA Dermatology”

Tofacitinib citrate improved nail dystrophy and pain in patients with alopecia universalis without causing side effects.

research Rapid Skin Repigmentation on Oral Ruxolitinib in a Patient with Coexistent Vitiligo and Alopecia Areata

157 citations, February 2016 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology”

A man with vitiligo and alopecia saw quick skin and hair improvement with ruxolitinib, but skin color gains were lost after stopping treatment.

research Reversal of Alopecia Areata Following Treatment With the JAK1/2 Inhibitor Baricitinib

184 citations, April 2015 in “EBioMedicine”

A patient with Alopecia Areata had complete hair regrowth after using the drug baricitinib.

research Killing Two Birds with One Stone: Oral Tofacitinib Reverses Alopecia Universalis in a Patient with Plaque Psoriasis

185 citations, December 2014 in “Journal of Investigative Dermatology”

A man with severe hair loss and skin disease regrew his hair with no side effects after taking tofacitinib.

research Alopecia Areata Is Driven by Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes and Is Reversed by JAK Inhibition

701 citations, August 2014 in “Nature medicine”

Alopecia areata can be reversed by JAK inhibitors, promoting hair regrowth.

research Alopecia in the United States: Outpatient Utilization and Common Prescribing Patterns

46 citations, August 2007 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology”

Alopecia areata causes significant emotional distress, including high rates of depression and anxiety.