Can Tofacitinib treat alopecia areata?

There is research data showing that patients have successfully treated severe alopecia areata with oral or topical tofacitinib. However, this treatment has not yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or other countries. Tofacitinib is not currently permitted to treat conditions for which it is not approved. Alopecia areata (AA) is a chronic autoimmune disease involving hair follicles with a high recurrence rate and variable response to traditional therapies that nonspecifically target the immune system.

Januskinase (JAK) inhibitors are targeted immunosuppressants that can improve hair loss in patients with alopecia areata and can be used in oral and topical preparations. Patients with more severe and long-term disease respond less well to treatment with tofacitinib, a JAK 1/3 inhibitor. In the clinical study, 11 patients were treated with standard to high-dose oral tofacitinib, and 4 patients were treated with compound topical tofacitinib. The results indicate that oral tofacitinib may be an effective option for patients with severe alopecia areata, and that higher-dose treatment may be required for some patients whose standard dose of oral tofacitinib is not effective. Compared with previous studies, patients were found to have shorter time to first remission (1.36 months vs. 4.2 months), although this was patient-reported, and the percentage improvement in SALT scores was greater (61.18% vs. 44.3%). Most patients notice at least minor regrowth within the first three months.

Tofacitinibhas been launched in China and has entered the scope of Class B medical insurance. The common specification is tofacitinib citrate tablets. The price paid by medical insurance is relatively cheap, but the reimbursement ratio is different in different regions, and the price after reimbursement will be different. Overseas, there are also tofacitinib generic drugs produced in other countries. The price of each box produced by a Bangladeshi pharmaceutical factory is around RMB 300 (the price may fluctuate due to the exchange rate). The ingredients of domestic original drugs and foreign generic drugs are basically the same, and the prices of different specifications will be different.