Substantial improvements seen with tofacitinib in cutaneous sarcoidosis

Tofacitinib treatment in patients with sarcoidosis with cutaneous involvement delivered significant improvements, according to a study presented at AAD VMX 2021.

“Some studies have estimated that up to one in 25 Black women in the U.S. may develop [sarcoidosis inflammatory disorder] during their lifetime. That’s a group where the highest incidence is seen,” William Damsky, MD, PhD, assistant professor in dermatology and dermatopathology at Yale School of Medicine, said during a presentation. “And it can be serious. As many as 4,000 deaths per year have also been estimated to be either directly or indirectly attributable to sarcoidosis.”

The open-label prospective single-center study included 10 patients with sarcoidosis with cutaneous involvement for a minimum of 1 year; nine patients also reported active internal organ disease. Patients received twice-daily tofacitinib for 6 months. At baseline, all patients had a Cutaneous Sarcoidosis Activity and Morphology Instrument (CSAMI) score of 10 or greater.

After 6 months, all patients had improved CSAMI scores, with six reporting complete responses. CSAMI scores were reduced by an average of 82.7%. No serious adverse events occurred as a result of tofacitinib treatment.

“Not only did patients get better, but they were, in many cases, able to come off their baseline immunosuppressive regimen, including prednisone and methotrexate, and get off prednisone entirely, or in some cases just decrease it substantially. It’s really quite remarkable to see that,” Damsky said during the presentation.