Secukinumab-Induced Alopecia Areata Successfully Treated with Tofacitinib in a Patient with Palmoplantar Pustulosis

October 2023 in “ Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology ”

Chen Zhang, Tianlun Kang, Tangliang Qian, Mingyue Ma, Xiaofeng Hou, Chen Li

secukinumab alopecia areata tofacitinib palmoplantar pustulosis interleukin-17 biologics IL-17 AA PPP

TLDR Tofacitinib improved hair loss and skin symptoms in a patient after secukinumab caused hair loss.

A 35-year-old female patient with Palmoplantar Pustulosis (PPP) developed Alopecia Areata (AA), a rare side effect, after treatment with secukinumab, a drug that targets interleukin-17 (IL-17). After discontinuing secukinumab and starting treatment with tofacitinib, both her AA and PPP significantly improved. The study suggests that tofacitinib could be a potential treatment for AA induced by biologics during PPP treatment. However, more research with larger sample sizes is needed to confirm these findings.