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

September 2016 in “ JCI insight ”

Julian Mackay-Wiggan, Ali Jabbari, Nhan Nguyen, Jane E. Cerise, Charlotte Clark, Grace Ulerio, Megan Furniss, Roger Vaughan, Angela M. Christiano, Raphael Clynes

ruxolitinib JAK1/2 inhibitor alopecia areata hair regrowth inflammatory markers gene expression analysis AA

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

In a pilot study from 2016, researchers tested the effectiveness of oral ruxolitinib, a JAK1/2 inhibitor, on 12 patients with moderate-to-severe alopecia areata (AA). The patients took 20 mg of ruxolitinib twice daily for 3-6 months, with a follow-up period of 3 months after discontinuation. The study reported that 75% (9 out of 12) of the patients experienced significant hair regrowth, with an average of 92% hair regrowth by the end of the treatment period. No serious adverse effects were reported, and gene expression analysis showed a decrease in inflammatory markers and an increase in hair-specific markers. The study concluded that ruxolitinib was effective in treating AA, but emphasized the need for larger, randomized controlled trials to confirm its safety and efficacy.

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

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