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A 25-year-old man with plaque psoriasis and virtually no hair of any sort now sports a full head of hair plus body hair after treatment with the arthritis drug tofacitinib, according to Dr. Brittany G. Craiglow and Dr. Brett A. King of Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
The treatment has been so successful that Dr. King has submitted a proposal for a clinical trial involving a cream form of tofacitinib as a treatment for alopecia areata, according to a statement from the university.
Tofacitinib is approved only for the treatment of adult patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response or intolerance to methotrexate, but it is in clinical development for the treatment of psoriasis.
Dr. Craiglow and Dr. King began treating the patient with 10 mg oral tofacitinib (Xeljanz) daily. At baseline, the patient had been diagnosed with plaque psoriasis and alopecia universalis. His only body hair was a small amount of hair within the psoriasis plaques on his head, the researchers said (J. Invest. Dermatol. 2014 June 18 [doi:10.1038/jid.2014.260]).
After 2 months of tofacitinib dosed at 5 mg twice daily, the psoriasis on the patient’s scalp, torso, and elbows showed some improvement, and there was some hair growth on his face and scalp. The researchers increased the dose to 10 mg in the morning and 5 mg at night. After 3 more months, the patient had complete regrowth of scalp hair, as well as some growth of eyebrows, eyelashes, armpit hair, and pubic hair. After 8 months, the patient had full regrowth of all body hair, with the exception of hair on the arms and legs (which had been sparse prior to his alopecia diagnosis, the researchers said).
Although the hair growth has been dramatic, improvements in the patient’s psoriasis have been slower, likely because of the dosage.
“While we considered increasing the dose of tofacitinib, the patient is so pleased with the regrowth of his hair (and is not particularly bothered by the remaining psoriasis) that he has chosen to continue at the present dose,” the researchers noted.
The researchers considered using tofacitinib to treat the patient’s alopecia universalis based on the research of Angela M. Christiano, Ph.D., of Columbia University, New York, in which the drug reversed hair loss in a mouse model of alopecia areata.
The patient has reported no side effects, and lab testing has shown no abnormalities in complete blood count, serum creatinine, electrolytes, liver function, glucose, or lipids, the researchers noted.
The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.
[email protected]
A 25-year-old man with plaque psoriasis and virtually no hair of any sort now sports a full head of hair plus body hair after treatment with the arthritis drug tofacitinib, according to Dr. Brittany G. Craiglow and Dr. Brett A. King of Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
The treatment has been so successful that Dr. King has submitted a proposal for a clinical trial involving a cream form of tofacitinib as a treatment for alopecia areata, according to a statement from the university.
Tofacitinib is approved only for the treatment of adult patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response or intolerance to methotrexate, but it is in clinical development for the treatment of psoriasis.
Dr. Craiglow and Dr. King began treating the patient with 10 mg oral tofacitinib (Xeljanz) daily. At baseline, the patient had been diagnosed with plaque psoriasis and alopecia universalis. His only body hair was a small amount of hair within the psoriasis plaques on his head, the researchers said (J. Invest. Dermatol. 2014 June 18 [doi:10.1038/jid.2014.260]).
After 2 months of tofacitinib dosed at 5 mg twice daily, the psoriasis on the patient’s scalp, torso, and elbows showed some improvement, and there was some hair growth on his face and scalp. The researchers increased the dose to 10 mg in the morning and 5 mg at night. After 3 more months, the patient had complete regrowth of scalp hair, as well as some growth of eyebrows, eyelashes, armpit hair, and pubic hair. After 8 months, the patient had full regrowth of all body hair, with the exception of hair on the arms and legs (which had been sparse prior to his alopecia diagnosis, the researchers said).
Although the hair growth has been dramatic, improvements in the patient’s psoriasis have been slower, likely because of the dosage.
“While we considered increasing the dose of tofacitinib, the patient is so pleased with the regrowth of his hair (and is not particularly bothered by the remaining psoriasis) that he has chosen to continue at the present dose,” the researchers noted.
The researchers considered using tofacitinib to treat the patient’s alopecia universalis based on the research of Angela M. Christiano, Ph.D., of Columbia University, New York, in which the drug reversed hair loss in a mouse model of alopecia areata.
The patient has reported no side effects, and lab testing has shown no abnormalities in complete blood count, serum creatinine, electrolytes, liver function, glucose, or lipids, the researchers noted.
The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.
[email protected]
A 25-year-old man with plaque psoriasis and virtually no hair of any sort now sports a full head of hair plus body hair after treatment with the arthritis drug tofacitinib, according to Dr. Brittany G. Craiglow and Dr. Brett A. King of Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
The treatment has been so successful that Dr. King has submitted a proposal for a clinical trial involving a cream form of tofacitinib as a treatment for alopecia areata, according to a statement from the university.
Tofacitinib is approved only for the treatment of adult patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response or intolerance to methotrexate, but it is in clinical development for the treatment of psoriasis.
Dr. Craiglow and Dr. King began treating the patient with 10 mg oral tofacitinib (Xeljanz) daily. At baseline, the patient had been diagnosed with plaque psoriasis and alopecia universalis. His only body hair was a small amount of hair within the psoriasis plaques on his head, the researchers said (J. Invest. Dermatol. 2014 June 18 [doi:10.1038/jid.2014.260]).
After 2 months of tofacitinib dosed at 5 mg twice daily, the psoriasis on the patient’s scalp, torso, and elbows showed some improvement, and there was some hair growth on his face and scalp. The researchers increased the dose to 10 mg in the morning and 5 mg at night. After 3 more months, the patient had complete regrowth of scalp hair, as well as some growth of eyebrows, eyelashes, armpit hair, and pubic hair. After 8 months, the patient had full regrowth of all body hair, with the exception of hair on the arms and legs (which had been sparse prior to his alopecia diagnosis, the researchers said).
Although the hair growth has been dramatic, improvements in the patient’s psoriasis have been slower, likely because of the dosage.
“While we considered increasing the dose of tofacitinib, the patient is so pleased with the regrowth of his hair (and is not particularly bothered by the remaining psoriasis) that he has chosen to continue at the present dose,” the researchers noted.
The researchers considered using tofacitinib to treat the patient’s alopecia universalis based on the research of Angela M. Christiano, Ph.D., of Columbia University, New York, in which the drug reversed hair loss in a mouse model of alopecia areata.
The patient has reported no side effects, and lab testing has shown no abnormalities in complete blood count, serum creatinine, electrolytes, liver function, glucose, or lipids, the researchers noted.
The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.
[email protected]