NEW BREAK THROUGH IN VITILIGO TREATMENT..
The subject of the study was a 53-year-old patient with prominent white patches covering the skin of her face, hands and body that had been increasing over the previous year. She had received treatment in the form of ointments and light therapy, but these did not halt the condition's progression.
Due to tofacitinib's success in treating alopecia areata, Dr. King and study co-author Dr. Brittany Craiglow believed that it might also prove effective at treating vitiligo. For their trial, the patient received an oral dose of the drug of 5 mg every other day, which increased to 5 mg a day after 3 weeks.
The researchers found that after 2 months of treatment, the patient had experienced partial repigmentation on her arms, face and hands. After 5 months, the white patches she had been most concerned with on her face and hands were nearly all gone. Only a few white spots remained on other parts of her body.
The dosage administered during the trial was half the approved dosage for treating rheumatoid arthritis. Crucially, the patient did not experience any adverse effects upon taking tofacitinib.
"It's a first, and it could revolutionize treatment of an awful disease," says Dr. King. "This may be a huge step forward in the treatment of patients with this condition."
As the study only involved one patient, Dr. King acknowledges that further research will be needed to confirm that the drug is both safe and effective in treating vitiligo. He now hopes to conduct a clinical trial using tofacitinib or ruxolitinib - another JAK inhibitor that may be able to treat alopecia areata - to treat the disorder.
"Alopecia areata and vitiligo share genetic risk factors and can co-occur within families and individual patients, suggesting a common pathogenesis," write the authors. "As such, it is not surprising that a medication that has been shown to be effective in treating alopecia areata may also be effective in treating vitiligo."
Medical News Today reported on how ruxolitinib could restore hair growth in patients with alopecia areata last August. The drug is more commonly used to treat a rare bone marrow disease.
Written by James McIntosh
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Copyright: Medical News Today
Replies
GREAT!!!! but it cost 1500 usdollars in argentina , only 60 pills!!!!!...... i agree about the alopecia assoc. cuz i will start taking Tricomax instaed, that helps to create hair, and also has a big ammount of copper.... i cant affor to buy those other pills yet, but agree 100 in the rest! best regards!