Alopecia areata drug Litfulo lands in the Big 5 hospitals

Pfizer's alopecia areata drug

Lands in major medical institutions nationwide, including Samsung Medical Center and Seoul National University Hospital

First drug approved for adolescents... improved SALT score

Litfulo, a new drug for alopecia areata, may now be prescribed at tertiary hospitals in Korea..

 

According to industry sources, Pfizer Korea's new Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor Litfulo (ritlecitinib) has passed review of Drug Committees (DCs) at major medical institutions, including Samsung Medical Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul Asan Medical Center, Sinchon Severance Hospital, Pusan National University Hospital, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, and Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital.

 

Jeonbuk National University Hospital and Chungnam National University Hospital.

 

Since the drug’s launch in March, its prescription area has been steadily expanding.

 

Approved in Korea in September last year, Litfulo is the first drug approved for the treatment of alopecia areata in adolescents in Korea.

 

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition that causes patchy or complete hair loss on the scalp, face, or other parts of the body.

 

It occurs when the immune system attacks the hair follicles, causing hair loss.

 

The number of patients diagnosed with alopecia areata in Korea has increased over the past decade, from 154,380 in 2013 to 178,009 in 2023.

 

In general, most cases of alopecia areata with mild symptoms tend to recover naturally or respond well to treatment, but also recur frequently, with approximately 40–80% of patients experiencing recurrence within one year.

 

Professor Chong-Hyun Won of the Department of Dermatology at Asan Medical Center Seoul, said, “The launch of this new treatment option brings new hope for patients who have long suffered from alopecia areata and have unmet needs.

 

It is also significant for us medical professionals as it provides a new and safe option.” Meanwhile, Litfulo has demonstrated its efficacy through the global ALLEGRO IIb/III trial.

 

Its primary endpoint, which evaluated the proportion of patients with a Severity of Alopecia Tool (SALT) score of 20 or below, 23% of the treatment group achieved a SALT score of 20 or below at Week 24, compared to 2% in the placebo group, demonstrating statistically significant treatment efficacy.

 

At Week 48, the proportion of patients in the Litfulo 50 mg treatment group with a SALT score of 20 or below was 43%, compared to 10% in the placebo group, confirming significant efficacy.

 

This suggests that the efficacy of Litfulo increases over time.

 

The incidence of adverse events in these patients was similar to that in the placebo group, with no deaths.