A New Treatment for Severe Alopecia Areata Has Been Approved in the USA!

By Anthony Gilding, HBSc

Exciting news to share with the alopecia areata (AA) community! The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Pfizer’s new drug LITFULO (Ritlecitinib) for the treatment of severe AA in adolescents (12 years and up) and adults! This is the first approved treatment that can be used in youth!

LITFULO is a Janus kinase (JAK) 3 and tyrosine kinase (TYK) expressed in hepatocellular carcinoma (TEC) inhibitor. This means that it inhibits those biochemical pathways which are involved in the development and progression of AA. The results from the ALLEGRO Phase 2b/3 clinical trial have demonstrated that LITFULO is incredibly effective at regrowing hair in patients with severe AA. 

While this approval is only in the USA, rest assured that LITFULO is under review by Health Canada and we anticipate its approval in the coming months. 

Want to learn more about the approval of LITFULO? Read more on the Pfizer website.