Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Baricitinib and Ritlecitinib in Severe Alopecia Areata: A Real-World Monocentric Retrospective Study

July 2026 in “ Dermatology and Therapy ”

Francesco D’Oria, S. Di Giulio, Luciano Ibba, Costanza Falcidia, Giulio Foggi, Carlo Alberto Vignoli, Paola Facheris, Luigi Gargiulo, Ruggero Cascio Ingurgio, Antonio Costanzo, Alessandra Narcisi, Mario Valenti

This study compared the effectiveness and safety of baricitinib and ritlecitinib in 160 patients with severe alopecia areata. Both treatments showed similar effectiveness, with 65.5% of baricitinib and 61.5% of ritlecitinib patients achieving a SALT score ≤ 20 by week 52. Eyelash and eyebrow improvements were also comparable between the two groups. Discontinuation due to adverse events was low for both treatments, though non-severe adverse events were more common with baricitinib, primarily due to weight gain. Overall, both medications demonstrated favorable safety profiles and effectiveness, supporting their use in clinical practice for severe alopecia areata.

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