Oral Baricitinib Restores Hair Loss in Alopecia Areata

Two phase 3 trials involving 1200 adults with severe alopecia areata demonstrated that treatment with oral baricitinib, a Janus kinase inhibitor, resulted in hair regrowth. Participants were randomized to receive either 4 mg of baricitinib, 2 mg of baricitinib, or a placebo once daily. The primary outcome was a Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score of 20 or less at week 36, with SALT scores ranging from 0 to 100, and higher scores indicating more scalp hair loss. Over half of the participants had initial SALT scores between 95 to 100.