WEDNESDAY, Jan. 29, 2025 -- For patients with alopecia areata (AA), ritlecitinib-induced hair regrowth at week 24 is sustained over 48 weeks, according to a study published in the February issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Melissa Piliang, M.D., from the Cleveland Clinic, and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of continued ritlecitinib treatment to week 48 in patients aged 12 years and older with AA with or without target efficacy responses at week 24. Participants received daily ritlecitinib, with or without a four-week loading dose: 200/50 mg, 200/30 mg, 50 mg, or 30 mg, respectively. Participants who had a clinical response at week 24, based on a Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score ≤20 and ≤10, were assessed for sustained response through 48 weeks.

The researchers found that ≥85 and ≥68 percent of those with SALT score ≤20 and ≤10 responses at week 24, respectively, sustained these responses through week 48. Twenty-two to 34 percent of those with a SALT score >20 at week 24 achieved a SALT score ≤20 at week 48. Twenty to 26 percent of those with a SALT score >10 at week 24 achieved a SALT score ≤10 at week 48. Across subgroups, safety was similar.

"The majority of ritlecitinib-treated patients with AA who met target clinical response based on scalp, eyebrow, or eyelash regrowth at week 24 sustained their response through week 48 with continued treatment," the authors write. "Some patients, including those with more extensive hair loss, may require ritlecitinib treatment beyond six months to achieve target clinical response."

Several authors disclosed ties to biopharmaceutical companies, including Pfizer, which manufactures ritlecitinib and funded the study.