Review of efficacy of baricitinib in the treatment of alopecia areata

Abstract

Alopecia areata (AA) is a long-term autoimmune condition characterized by patchy, non-scarring hair loss. It involves an autoimmune inflammatory process that gives immunity privilege to some hair follicles, while subsequent inflammatory attacks target previously normal hair follicles. One of the most important discoveries in the pathogenesis of this disease is the Janus kinase (JAK)-signal transducer and activator of the transcription (STAT) pathway. Now that a greater understanding of the immunological processes contributing to the pathogenesis has been gained, current trials’ focus was on managing the immunological reaction involved in this disease. Baricitinib is a new first-generation JAK inhibitor that has been studied in multiple trials. This study's objectives were to review existing research and summarize information on the use of Baricitinib to treat AA. The Medline database was searched for relevant published research papers using variations of the following keywords: “AA,” “Baricitinib,” and “JAK inhibitors.” The search covered studies published from 2010–2022. Our findings showed that baricitinib’s use for severe AA in multiple studies generally led to improvement of patients’ conditions with minimal side effects.