Clinically Meaningful Hair Regrowth Seen With Ivarmacitinib for Severe Alopecia Areata

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 7, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Once-daily ivarmacitinib yields rapid, clinically meaningful hair regrowth in adults with severe alopecia areata (AA), according to a study published in the January issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.Cheng Zhou, M.D., from Peking University People's Hospital in Beijing, and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of ivarmacitinib in adults with severe AA in a randomized, double-blind, phase 3 trial involving 330 patients. Participants were randomly assigned to receive ivarmacitinib 4 mg, 8 mg, or placebo once daily for 24 weeks; placebo recipients were re-randomly assigned to ivarmacitinib for a 28-week extension. The proportion achieving a Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score ≤20 at week 24 was examined as the primary end point.The researchers found that SALT ≤20 was achieved by 34.9, 40.6, and 9.0 percent of patients in the 4 mg, 8 mg, and placebo groups, respectively, at week 24. For 4 and 8 mg, the absolute differences versus placebo were 25.6 and 31.6 percent, respectively. Treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 77.1, 84.7, and 75.5 percent of patients, respectively, and were mainly mild or moderate. There were no reports of deaths, major cardiovascular events, or thromboembolic events."These findings support ivarmacitinib as a potential treatment option for patients with extensive AA, addressing a critical unmet need," the authors write.Several authors are employees of Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceutical Co., which funded the study.Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Clinically Meaningful Hair Regrowth Seen With Ivarmacitinib for Severe Alopecia Areata

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