The combination of a targeted oral medication with light therapy may enhance repigmentation for patients living with nonsegmental vitiligo, a team of researchers led by Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, PhD, Waldman Professor and System Chair of the Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, reports.
The study, published in the April issue of Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology , evaluated the efficacy and safety of ritlecitinib—an oral JAK3/TEC family kinase inhibitor—alone and in combination with narrow-band ultraviolet B (nbUVB) phototherapy at inducing recovery of skin color in areas that had lost it.
In a 24-week extension of a phase 2b clinical trial, the Mount Sinai researchers found that patients receiving ritlecitinib with nbUVB phototherapy experienced greater improvements in vitiligo severity compared to those receiving ritlecitinib alone. Notably, the combination led to a mean 69.6 percent improvement in facial repigmentation, compared to 55.1 percent with ritlecitinib alone. Total body repigmentation also improved more significantly with the combination therapy.
Vitiligo is a chronic autoimmune skin condition characterized by the loss of pigment-producing cells, leading to patchy depigmentation. According to the National Institute of Health, it affects approximately one to two percent of the global population and often carries significant psychological and social burdens.
"These results are encouraging and suggest that this combination may provide added benefit for patients with vitiligo," said Dr. Guttman-Yassky. "Our findings underscore the potential of precision therapies, including targeted oral treatments, to be safely integrated with traditional modalities like light therapy to enhance patient outcomes."
While the study had limitations—including a relatively small sample size of 230 (187 patients that received ritlecitinib monotherapy and 43 that received ritlecitinib plus nbUVB) and an exploratory design—the findings lay important groundwork for future studies and therapeutic strategies.
"These findings represent another step forward in our mission to offer hope and improved quality of life to people living with vitiligo and other dermatologic conditions," said Dr. Guttman-Yassky.
