Experience with Oral Tofacitinib in Adolescents and Adults with Alopecia Areata

In a retrospective study involving nine patients with alopecia areata (AA) or alopecia universalis (AU), aged between 13 and 33 years, the efficacy of oral tofacitinib (TOFA) was assessed after a minimum of 6 months of treatment. The study found that 44.4% of the patients did not respond to the treatment, 33.3% showed a moderate response, 11.1% had an intermediate response, and 11.1% experienced a complete response, resulting in an overall clinical response rate of 41.4%. Most of the responders had AA rather than AU. The adverse effects reported were mild, with two patients experiencing upper respiratory tract infections and one patient developing proteinuria. The study concluded that TOFA seems to have a reasonable clinical response rate and is well-tolerated, but emphasized the need for further randomized controlled trials to fully evaluate its efficacy, adverse effects, and the durability of the treatment for AA.