JAK Inhibitor Effective, Well Tolerated Among Patients With Alopecia Areata

The Janus kinase inhibitor baricitinib is effective and well tolerated for the treatment of patients with alopecia areata, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials published in Current Medical Research and Opinion.

The meta-analysis included 1282 patients from 3 studies that compared the effectiveness and safety of baricitinib with placebo.

Baricitinib significantly outperformed placebo in improved Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) scores. The mean difference between treatments was 34.07, according to study findings. Furthermore, the proportion of patients who attained a SALT score of 20 or less was significantly higher with baricitinib than placebo; the study reported a risk ratio of 6.41.

Apart from acne, the safety analysis revealed no significant differences between baricitinib treatment compared with placebo for any outcome. The occurrence of acne was significantly higher among patients treated with placebo, with a risk ratio of 4.79.

The study, conducted by Abdelrahman Mohamed Mahmoud of the Menoufia University Faculty of Medicine in Egypt, received no outside funding.

Reference:
Mahmoud AM. Effectiveness and safety of baricitinib in patients with alopecia areata: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Curr Med Res Opin. Published online October 22, 2022. doi:10.1080/03007995.2022.2135838