Long-term therapy Baricitinib improves hair growth in severe alopecia areata

A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology suggests that Baricitinib's effectiveness for treating people with severe alopecia areata (AA) increased over the course of 52 weeks, suggesting that long-term therapy may be required to see the most therapeutic benefit. 

An autoimmune condition known as alopecia areata results in patchy hair loss on the face, scalp, and body. Baricitinib, an oral JAK inhibitor, has been effective for treating severe alopecia areata over a period of 36 weeks. On the longer-term management of AA, there is less information. For this reason, 52 weeks of continuous treatment in two phase III studies were used to examine the effectiveness and safety of baricitinib for AA in people with less than 50% scalp hair loss (BRAVE-AA1 and BRAVE-AA2).

Participants in BRAVE-AA1 (N = 465) and BRAVE-AA2 (N = 390) who were initially randomized to receive baricitinib continued to receive it until Week 52. The percentage of patients who achieved a Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score under 20 (less than 20% scalp hair loss) was one measure of efficacy. Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, data were suppressed after permanent treatment termination or if gathered remotely.