Efficacy and Safety of Tofacitinib in Patients With Alopecia Areata

    March 2026 in “ Journal of Pakistan Association of Dermatologists ”
    ShariqA Khan, Sumera Hanif, Aliza Hamadani, Ayesha Arshad Chattha, Rabia Shaukat, Iram Kausar, Fakiha Khan, Talat Masood Akbar, Kiran Javaid, Zaryab Alam, Haroon Nabi
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    TLDR Tofacitinib helps hair regrowth in alopecia areata but relapse is common after stopping treatment.
    This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of tofacitinib in 59 patients with alopecia areata (AA), showing significant improvement in hair regrowth, with the mean SALT score decreasing from 59.98 to 17.48 over 24 weeks. A perfect response was observed in 45.1% of patients, particularly in those aged 20–39 years and with patchy AA. Adverse events were mostly mild, including headaches and upper respiratory infections. However, relapse was common, occurring in 45.7% of patients within 1–2 months after stopping treatment. The findings suggest that while tofacitinib is effective for AA, maintenance strategies are necessary due to high relapse rates. This study also provides valuable data from a South Asian population.
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