Topical Cream for Vitiligo Brings Back Normal Skin Colour

Highlights:

Vitiligo is a condition that involves loss of pigment (depigmentation) in patches of skin
Depigmentation of the skin caused by vitiligo is not harmful, but many people feel embarrassed
If you want to regain lost skin colour, FDA has approved FDA Opzelura (ruxolitinib) cream for patients above 12 years of age

A newly approved cream called ruxolitinib (Opzelura) is quickly becoming a game changer for the millions of people who live with vitiligo, a disease that robs the skin of its natural color.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved ruxolitinib for vitiligo in people aged 12 and older in July. The drug, part of a class known as Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, targets JAK, a molecule involved in the development and progression of vitiligo.

Vitiligo-Symptoms-Diagnosis-Treatment-Research-Lifestyle
Vitiligo is a skin disease characterized by patches of unpigmented skin. Vitiligo is usually slowly progressive. Melanin is either destroyed or not produced.

‘The U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved Ruxolitinib cream for vitiligo is a milestone in overcoming disease that has no approved treatments.’

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About half of people with vitiligo who used the cream got 75% or more pigment back on the face and 50% or more pigment back on their whole body after a year of use[1].

More than one-third of adults and more than 50% of adolescents in the study said their vitiligo was no longer noticeable or a lot less noticeable after a year.

What is the Best Ointment for Vitiligo?

Vitiligo is an autoimmune disease that occurs when the body misfires against its own skin cells, it can be mild or severe and found anywhere on the body, although it typically affects the face and hands. Vitiligo affects people of all skin types but is often more noticeable in people with darker skin.

Scientists Have Found Possible Cure for Gray Hair and Vitiligo
Loss of skin and hair color can be corrected by reversing oxidative stress with PC-KUS, a pseudocatalase, according to a team of European researchers.

Two studies included in the new analysis involved more than 670 people with vitiligo from 70 centers, primarily in North America and Europe. There were no differences in responses based on race, ethnicity, duration of disease, and/or the amount of vitiligo, among other factors[2].

Even patients with vitiligo for over 30 years can still improve with this treatment. Before the new cream’s approval, dermatologists used topical steroids, topical calcineurin inhibitors, and phototherapy to treat vitiligo.

T-cells In Skin Can Kill Melanoma Cells And Prolong Survival
Melanoma patients with vitiligo have a better outcome because the T-cells in the skin found in vitiligo provide immunity against the cancer cells in melanoma.

Topical corticosteroids and calcineurin inhibitors help some patients but certainly not everyone, and can also have side effects. Corticosteroids can lighten and thin the skin and we have to limit the use on sensitive body sites like face, genitals, and armpits, and calcineurin inhibitors can sting or burn where applied for some patients.

Potential Uses of New Drug in Vitiligo Treatment

Topical ruxolitinib caused only mild side effects, including redness and irritation at the application site and mild acne in this study. The medication does carry a black box warning from the FDA due to a small increased risk of serious infections, major heart issues, clotting, cancer and even death[3].

This warning is based on studies of oral ruxolitinib, which results in much higher blood levels than the cream. The study was funded by Incyte Corp., which produces ruxolitinib. It was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dispel Myths About Vitiligo, Say Experts
A lot of social stigma is attached to vitiligo and adolescents who are afflicted often slip into depression, say doctors.

Vitiligo has traditionally been understudied despite its dramatic social and psychological impact. The development of this new medication is exciting to the community for the treatment it offers, the validation of the underlying science of vitiligo it represents, and for the novel treatments to come it promises.

This disease can take a dramatic toll on self-esteem. Half of all patients with vitiligo are diagnosed before the age of 20, and in the pediatric population, teasing, bullying, self-consciousness and embarrassment have been issues for patients.

Vitiligo is one of the most significant psychosocial diseases with an impact on quality of life similar to chronic asthma, and rates of depression are much higher than in the general population.

Without knowing how well a medication can work in a large group and also how safe it is, [and] we have that information now and that is a tremendous hurdle to overcome for a disease that had no approved treatments.

Topical treatment targets the affected sites directly and lowers the risk of systemic effects. Patients with vitiligo finally have the hope of efficient treatments, with several new immuno-modulating drugs in different phases of clinical trials.

References:

U.S. Food and Drug Administration.(https://www.fda.gov/drugs/news-events-human-drugs/fda-approves-topical-treatment-addressing-repigmentation-vitiligo-patients-aged-12-and-older)
Garg BJ, Saraswat A, Bhatia A, Katare OP. Topical treatment in vitiligo and the potential uses of new drug delivery systems. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2010.(https://ijdvl.com/topical-treatment-in-vitiligo-and-the-potential-uses-of-new-drug-delivery-systems/)
U.S News and World Report.(https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-10-24/topical-cream-may-restore-skin-pigmentation-in-people-with-vitiligo)

Source-Medindia