Patient satisfaction high with ritlecitinib for alopecia areata

Key takeaways:

• Satisfaction was reported in 36.4% to 67.5% of patients treated with ritlecitinib vs. 22.6% of those who received placebo.
• Hair quality and hair growth satisfaction were significantly higher with ritlecitinib.

Patients with alopecia treated with ritlecitinib reported high levels of satisfaction compared with those who received placebo, according to a study.

“Alopecia areata (AA) is a disease which causes small or large areas of hair loss on the scalp and/or body. AA affects about 145 million people worldwide and occurs in children and

adults,” Rodney Sinclair, MD, professorial fellow in the department of medicine at the University of Melbourne and director of Sinclair Dermatology, and colleagues wrote. “AA can have a large impact on a person’s mental health and cause damage to self-esteem. AA can also cause worry or feelings of sadness. Therefore, it is important to understand if people are satisfied with their treatments for AA.”

This analysis of patient-reported satisfaction included patients of the ALLEGRO 2b/3 clinical trial, in which 718 patients with 50% or more scalp hair loss were randomly assigned to one of six groups: daily ritlecitinib 10 mg (n = 63), 30 mg (n = 132) or 50 mg (n = 130); a 200 mg loading dose of ritlecitinib followed by either daily 30 mg (n = 130) or 50 mg doses (n = 132); or placebo (n = 131) for 24 weeks.

A 24-week extension trial continued treatment-group patients on their original dose and switched placebo-treated patients to either daily 50 mg of ritlecitinib or a 200 mg loading dose followed by 50 mg of ritlecitinib for an additional 24 weeks.

The proportion of patients reporting slight, moderate or extreme satisfaction at week 24 was significantly higher in the treatment groups — and especially the higher-dose treatment groups — compared with placebo, according to the researchers. Overall, 36.4% of patients in the 10 mg group and 67.5% in the 200 mg loading dose followed by 50 mg group reported some level of satisfaction. This compared with 22.6% of the placebo group. In the group that switched from placebo to the 200 mg loading dose followed by 50 mg doses, 30.6% reported satisfaction, whereas 14.5% of those in the placebo group that switched to 50 mg did so.

The proportion of those satisfied with hair growth amount was 30.9% in the 10 mg ritlecitinib group, and 67.5% in both the 200 mg loading dose followed by 50 mg group and 50 mg groups. This proportion was 22.6% in the placebo group.

Of those who switched from placebo to 200 mg loading dose followed by 50 mg doses or 50 mg doses, 29% and 16.1% reported satisfaction, respectively.

The quality of hair growth satisfaction was 32.7% in the 10 mg group and 65.8% in the 200 mg loading dose followed by 50 mg doses group compared with 23.4% of those in the placebo group and 30.6% and 16.1% in the two placebo-to-treatment groups.

“Patients receiving ritlecitinib reported overwhelmingly higher rates of satisfaction with hair growth compared with placebo,” the authors wrote. “This is the first study using placebo-controlled clinical data demonstrating the impact of a treatment for AA on patient satisfaction that includes overall satisfaction and satisfaction with the quality and amount of hair. These results confirm the benefit to patients of treatment of their AA.”