GVF will share news and developments about various clinical trials for vitiligo treatments on an ongoing basis as we become aware of them.
If you have clinical trial results for vitiligo that you would like posted here, please contact us.
Afamelanotide
This is an implantable medication that acts like the hormone that stimulates melanocytes to produce pigment, or melanin. Clinical trials have been completed, but this medication is not yet commercially available. For more information on this trial, please click the link below.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25230094
JAK Inhibitors
This class of medication blocks the JAK pathway, which is responsible for T cells migrating to the skin and destroying melanocytes. There are currently two published case reports where these medications induced repigmentation in patients with vitiligo. However, no large clinical trials have been performed and this medication is currently not covered by insurance. For more information on the published case reports, please click the links below:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=tofacitinib+vitiligo
Corticosteroids
Steroids have anti-inflammatory properties and also decrease the number of T cells in the body. These are the cells that are responsible for destroying the pigment producing cells, or melanocytes. Often, oral steroids are used to help prevent disease progression and are either used with pulse dosing, where they are only taken on a few days of the week, or with daily dosing. Often, they are prescribed in combination with other treatments, such as light therapy. For more information of the use of oral steroids in vitiligo, please click the links below:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23815959
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18797057
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16681662