Treatment of Severe Alopecia Areata with the Oral Janus Kinase Inhibitor, Tofacitinib: A Retrospective Chart Review

April 2017 in “ Journal of Investigative Dermatology ”

Omer Ibrahim, Sara Hogan, Melissa Piliang, Wilma F. Bergfeld

tofacitinib Janus kinase inhibitor alopecia areata hair regrowth scalp hair loss JAK inhibitor

TLDR Tofacitinib may help regrow hair in severe alopecia areata, but results differ greatly between people.

The document detailed a retrospective study evaluating the effectiveness and safety of tofacitinib, a Janus kinase inhibitor, in treating 13 patients with long-standing, treatment-resistant moderate to severe alopecia areata. These patients had an average of 93% scalp hair loss and had not responded to previous therapies. After treatment with tofacitinib, hair regrowth varied significantly among patients, ranging from 2% to 90%, with an average regrowth of 44.3% and a median of 50.5%. The study concluded that tofacitinib could be effective for patients with over 75% hair loss, but results varied widely. It was suggested that treatment trials should last at least 4 months to a year to adequately evaluate the drug's efficacy.

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Related Research

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research Successful Treatment of Severe Alopecia Areata With Oral or Topical Tofacitinib

4 citations, July 2018 in “PubMed”

Oral and topical tofacitinib can help regrow hair in people with severe alopecia areata.