A drug originally developed to treat arthritis helped people with severe alopecia areata regrow their hair, with some patients achieving complete hair regrowth. The drug is upadacitinib, a member of a class of medicines known as Janus kinase inhibitors. The study was published in JAMA Dermatology.
Two phase 3 clinical trials involved 1,399 people aged 12 to 64, including 118 adolescents. Depending on the dose (15 or 30 mg), 44.6% to 55% of patients achieved at least 80% scalp hair coverage, while 13% to 22.5% regained all of their scalp hair. In the placebo group, only 1.5% to 3.4% of participants achieved similar results.
Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks hair follicles, causing hair loss that can sometimes progress to complete baldness. Upadacitinib suppresses signaling pathways involved in this immune attack, allowing hair to grow back. Noticeable improvement was observed as early as eight weeks after treatment began, and patients also reported improvements in their quality of life.
Alopecia areata affects approximately 2% of people at some point in their lives. In addition to cosmetic concerns, the condition can have a serious psychological impact, including anxiety and depression. Until recently, there were few effective treatments for severe forms of the disease. Janus kinase inhibitors have become the first class of drugs to demonstrate sustained efficacy in alopecia areata, although long-term treatment is required and hair loss may recur after the medication is discontinued.
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