A drug can have two different indications. This is the case with tofacitinib, which treats rheumatoid arthritis and reduces the discoloration spots of vitiligo.
Skin disease could be cured with treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. Two researchers from Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut, USA) tested the effectiveness of tofacitinib in a patient with vitiligo. In a few months, the depigmentation spots that characterize this disease have almost disappeared. The case study is published in the JAMA Dermatology.
Brett King and Brittany Craiglow noted in 2014 that tofacitinib citrate, recently approved in the United States, helped fight against an extreme form of baldness. They attempted to use this drug on a 53-year-old patient with vitiligo. The woman had white spots on her face, hands and chest. A dosage of 5 mg per day was set up.
Two months after the start of treatment, the patient saw her upper limbs gradually regain color. After 5 months, the depigmentation spots were almost gone. Now only 5% of his body is discolored.
The patient’s body before and after treatment (Credit : Dr Brett King)
The safety and efficacy of tofacitinib therapy must now be demonstrated. But Brett King, lead author of the study, is rather optimistic: “This is just one case, but with our understanding of the disease and how the drug works, we expected it to work, he explains. This is the first time that could revolutionize the treatment of a terrible disease. ”
The lead is all the more exciting since the patient did not suffer from side effects: the number of red blood cells was stable, her liver was functioning well, and there was no increase in creatinine or blood levels. lipids.
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