AAD: Upadacitinib Safe, Effective for Nonsegmental Vitiligo

MONDAY, April 6, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Treatment with upadacitinib is safe and effective for adults and adolescents with nonsegmental vitiligo (NSV), according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, held from March 27 to 31 in Denver.Thierry Passeron, M.D., Ph.D., from the Université Côte d'Azur in Nice, France, and colleagues evaluated the safety and efficacy of upadacitinib (15 mg), a selective once-daily Janus kinase 1 inhibitor, in adults and adolescents with NSV in two identical phase 3 studies (Viti-Up-1 and Viti-Up-2). For the studies, 308 and 306 patients across skin types were randomly assigned to upadacitinib or placebo, respectively.The researchers found that a greater proportion of patients receiving upadacitinib achieved ≥50 percent improvement in total repigmentation (Total Vitiligo Area Scoring Index [T-VASI] ≥50 percent: upadacitinib, 19.4 percent in Viti-Up-1 and 21.5 percent in Viti-Up-2 compared with 5.9 percent for placebo in both studies) at week 48. Patients receiving upadacitinib also achieved ≥75 percent facial repigmentation (F-VASI: upadacitinib, 25.2 percent in Viti-Up-1 and 23.4 percent in Viti-Up-2 compared with 5.9 and 6.9 percent, respectively, for placebo) at week 48. Similarly, higher proportions of patients treated with upadacitinib achieved ranked secondary end points of F-VASI50 at week 48, F-VASI75 at week 24, and F-VASI90 at week 48. No new safety signals emerged."Results indicate that upadacitinib treatment provides clinically meaningful repigmentation for adults and adolescents with NSV," the authors write.The Viti-Up studies were sponsored by AbbVie, the manufacturer of upadacitinib.More Information.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

AAD: Upadacitinib Safe, Effective for Nonsegmental Vitiligo

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