Have you heard the news?! The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finally approved Olumiant (baricitinib) as a treatment for Alopecia Areata (AA) in the USA. Before this approval, off-label, or repurposed medications such as corticosteroids or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) like methotrexate were used to treat AA, often with little success. And now, for the first time, AA patients will have access to an effective treatment! Several years ago a family of drugs known as Janus Kinase (JAK) inhibitors came to light as a potentially effective treatment for AA. Subsequent clinical trials conducted around the world demonstrated this efficacy. As the name implies, JAK inhibitors work by inhibiting JAK proteins active in the immune pathways that cause AA. Examples of JAK inhibitors include tofacitinib (Xeljanz), ruxolitinib (Jakavi), upadacitinib (Rinvoq), and finally, baricitinib (Olumiant). While all of these JAK inhibitors have been shown to be effective in treating AA, Olumiant is the first to be approved for such a use!
So, what’s next? CANAAF is hopeful that Health Canada will follow in the FDA’s footsteps and approve Olumiant for the treatment of AA here in Canada! Government approval is critical for insurance companies to cover the cost of this medication for patients.
Want to learn more about JAK inhibitors and/or alopecia areata? Email Anthony Gilding at science@canaaf.org.
Anthony Gilding, HBSc
Director of Science & Research at CANAAF
science@canaaf.org
