• Brooke Rothstein, Deep Joshipura, Ami Saraiya, Rana Abdat, Huda Ashkar, Yana Turkowski, Vaneeta Sheth, Victor Huang, Shiu Chung Au, Courtney Kachuk, Nicole Dumont, Alice B Gottlieb, and David Rosmarin.
• Department of Dermatology, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts.
• J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 2017 Jun 1; 76 (6): 1054-1060.e1.

BackgroundExisting therapies for vitiligo are limited in efficacy and can be associated with undesirable side effects. Topical Janus kinase inhibitors may offer a new therapeutic option for vitiligo.ObjectiveWe sought to assess the role of topical ruxolitinib 1.5% cream, a Janus kinase inhibitor, in vitiligo treatment.MethodsThis 20-week, open-label, proof-of-concept trial of twice-daily topical ruxolitinib 1.5% cream was conducted in 12 patients with a minimum of 1% affected body surface area of vitiligo. The primary outcome was percent improvement in Vitiligo Area Scoring Index from baseline to week 20.ResultsOf 12 patients screened, 11 were enrolled and 9 completed the study (54.5% men; mean age, 52 years). Four patients with significant facial involvement at baseline had a 76% improvement in facial Vitiligo Area Scoring Index scores at week 20 (95% confidence interval, 53-99%; P = .001). A 23% improvement in overall Vitiligo Area Scoring Index scores was observed in all enrolled patients at week 20 (95% confidence interval, 4-43%; P = .02). Three of 8 patients responded on body surfaces and 1 of 8 patients responded on acral surfaces. Adverse events were minor, including erythema, hyperpigmentation, and transient acne.LimitationsLimitations of the study include the small sample size and open-label study design.ConclusionsTopical ruxolitinib 1.5% cream provided significant repigmentation in facial vitiligo and may offer a valuable new treatment for vitiligo.Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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