Pfizer Litfulo gets European Commission approval for adolescents, adults with severe alopecia areata
New York: Pfizer Inc. has announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization for LITFULO (ritlecitinib) to treat adults and adolescents 12 years of age and older with severe alopecia areata. LITFULO, a once-daily oral capsule, is the first medicine authorized by the EC to treat individuals as young as 12 years of age with severe alopecia areata. LITFULO is also the first and only treatment to selectively inhibit Janus kinase 3 (JAK3) and the tyrosine kinase expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (TEC) family of kinases.
“The approval of LITFULO in Europe is an important milestone for patients as young as 12 years of age with substantial hair loss from alopecia areata, as they now have an opportunity to achieve significant hair regrowth,” said Angela Hwang, Chief Commercial Officer, President, Global Biopharmaceuticals Business, Pfizer. “Previously, there were no treatment options approved by the EC for adolescents with severe alopecia areata, and Pfizer is proud to be bringing forward this new innovative medicine for patients living with the challenges brought by this autoimmune disease.”
The marketing authorization for LITFULO is valid in all 27 EU member states, and in Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. This authorization follows the recommendation for approval by the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) in July 2023. It also follows approvals by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) in June 2023.
The approval was based on the ALLEGRO clinical trial program, which included the ALLEGRO Phase 2b/3 study (NCT03732807) that investigated LITFULO in patients 12 years of age and older with alopecia areata with 50% or more scalp hair loss, including patients with alopecia totalis (total scalp hair loss) and alopecia universalis (total body hair loss). Results from this pivotal study showed that 13.4% of adults and adolescents saw 90% or more scalp hair coverage (SALT ≤10) after 24 weeks of treatment with LITFULO 50 mg compared to 1.5% with placebo. Patient Global Impression of Change (PGI-C) response was also measured and was a key secondary outcome supporting the approval. At week 24, 49.2% of participants reported a response of “moderate” to “great” improvement in their alopecia areata compared to 9.2% with placebo.
ALLEGRO-LT (NCT04006457) is an ongoing Phase 3, open-label, long-term study, with safety and efficacy data being collected for adults with alopecia areata with 25% or greater scalp hair loss and adolescents from 12 years of age with alopecia areata with 50% or greater scalp hair loss. Long-term efficacy and safety data from this study were included in the submission to support the approval.
