Infectious Events in Patients With Alopecia Areata Treated With JAK Inhibitors: Low Burden and Minimal Impact on Persistence in Treatment

May 2024 in “ Expert Opinion on Drug Safety ”

Giacomo Caldarola, Lorenzo Maria Pinto, Francesco Bellinato, Nicoletta Bernardini, Elena Campione, Andrea Chiricozzi, Laura Colonna, Clara De Simone, Laura Diluvio, Paolo Gisondi, Enrico Matteini, Eleonora Tomassetti, Ersilia Tolino, Luca Bianchi, Ketty Peris

alopecia areata JAK inhibitors infectious events

TLDR Infections during JAK inhibitor treatment for alopecia areata are usually manageable and rarely stop treatment permanently.

This study evaluated the safety of Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) in 91 patients with alopecia areata (AA), focusing on infectious events. It found that 34 infectious events occurred in 28 patients (30.8%), with 17 patients temporarily suspending treatment until the infection resolved. Only one case led to permanent discontinuation of JAKi. The findings suggest that while infectious events can occur during JAKi treatment, they are generally manageable and rarely lead to stopping the medication permanently. The results align with previous clinical trials, indicating a low burden of infectious events and minimal impact on treatment persistence.

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