A Review on the Use of Topical Ruxolitinib for the Treatment of Vitiligo

Abstract

Background: This article describes the clinical trial, safety, and efficacy of ruxolitinib 1.5% cream or repigmentation in patients with vitiligo.

Data sources: A systematic review was done using ruxolitinib or Opzelura in MEDLINE (PubMed) and EMBASE.

Clinicaltrials: gov was used to identify ongoing or unpublished studies.

Study selection and data extraction: Studies included were written in English and relevant to pharmacology, clinical trials, safety, and efficacy.

Data synthesis: In two 52-week phase 3 trials, 52.0% of subjects had at least 75% improvement in their Facial Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (F-VASI).

Relevance to patient care and clinical practice: Ruxolitinib is a topical Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor newly approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for repigmentation in patients with vitiligo.

Conclusion: Topical ruxolitinib is the first medication approved for repigmentation in patients with vitiligo. It is a safe and effective treatment; however, cost may be a barrier to some patients when prescribing this medication. Trials to compare the efficacy and side effect profile of topical ruxolitinib with other topical treatments are still needed. Grossmann MC, Haidari W, Feldman SR. A Review on the use of topical ruxolitinib for the treatment of vitiligo. J Drugs Dermatol. 2023;22(7):664-667. doi:10.36849/JDD.7268.