Tofacitinib Citrate Alleviates Alopecia Universalis Symptoms in Recent Case Study
April 2016
in “
Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology
”
TLDR Tofacitinib helped a person with total body hair loss grow hair again without bad side effects.
In a case study from 2016, a patient with alopecia universalis (AU), a severe form of alopecia areata characterized by complete body hair loss, was treated with tofacitinib citrate, a small molecule kinase inhibitor targeting the JAK1/3 pathway. The patient was prescribed a dosage of 5 mg twice daily and observed over eight months. Beard growth was noted at three months, and by six months, hair growth was observed throughout the body. At eight months, the patient experienced the regrowth of scalp hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows. The chronology of hair regrowth suggested that tofacitinib was effective in alleviating the symptoms of AU without adverse side effects. However, the possibility of spontaneous remission was acknowledged, and further studies were recommended to confirm the safety and efficacy of tofacitinib for treating AU.