For patients with nonsegmental vitiligo with depigmentation covering ≤10 percent of total body surface area, ruxolitinib cream yields clinically meaningful facial and total body repigmentation, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, held from March 25 to 29 in Boston.

David Rosmarin, M.D., from Tufts Medical Center in Boston, and colleagues randomly assigned patients aged 12 years and older diagnosed with nonsegmental vitiligo with depigmentation covering ≤10 percent total body surface area to receive 1.5 percent ruxolitinib cream or vehicle for 24 weeks in a 2:1 ratio, after which all patients could receive ruxolitinib cream for 52 weeks. Data were included from two phase 3 studies with 221 and 229 patients receiving ruxolitinib cream and 109 and 115 patients receiving vehicle.

The researchers found that for the primary end point of ≥75 percent improvement in facial Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (VASI), ruxolitinib cream was statistically superior to vehicle at week 24 (29.8/30.9 versus 7.4/11.4 percent, respectively); ruxolitinib cream was also statistically superior for all key secondary end points, including ≥50 percent improvement in total VASI. Among patients who applied ruxolitinib from day 1, increases were seen in responses through week 52. Treatment-related adverse events occurred in 18.6/15.4 percent of those who applied ruxolitinib cream through 52 weeks, most frequently application site acne (5.9/5.3 percent) and application site pruritus (5.0/4.4 percent).

"Ruxolitinib cream demonstrated clinically meaningful facial and total body repigmentation through 52 weeks in phase 3 studies and was generally well tolerated," the authors write.

The studies were funded by Incyte Corporation, the manufacturer of ruxolitinib.

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