TOPLINE

Topical ruxolitinib was associated with progressive facial repigmentation through 52 weeks in patients with non-segmental vitiligo in a real-world study, with improvements in anxiety, depression, and quality of life (QOL). 

METHODOLOGY

• Researchers conducted a multicentre retrospective cohort study of 860 patients aged 12 years or older (mean age, 47.4 years, 58.1% female) with non-segmental vitiligo from 34 Italian dermatology centres between July 2024 and October 2025.
• The patients  received topical ruxolitinib 1.5% cream twice daily and completed 24-week assessment; 229 (26.6%) reached 52 weeks at data lock.
• The mean disease duration was 162 months, and 84% of patients had received prior vitiligo therapy; Fitzpatrick phototype III was most common (54.5%); 284 of 607 with disease activity data had active disease at baseline.
• Primary outcomes were improvement of atleast 75% and at least 90% from baseline in Facial Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (F-VASI) at 24 and 52 weeks.
• Secondary outcomes included Vitiligo Noticeability Scale, Dermatology Life Quality Index, Vitiligo-specific QOL, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9.

TAKEAWAY

• F-VASI75 was achieved by 18.5% of patients at 24 weeks, and increased to 38.4% at 52 weeks; F-VASI90 rose from 5.7% to 25.8%. Patients with active disease at baseline achieved higher F-VASI75 rates at 24 weeks than those with stable disease (22.5% vs 13.3%; P = .004).
• Summer treatment initiation (March to May) was independently associated with F-VASI75 at 24 weeks (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 6.7; P < .001), as was Koebner phenomenon (aOR 1.6, P = .042).
• Rates of moderate-to-severe anxiety decreased from 37% at baseline to 11% at 24 weeks and to 2% at 52 weeks, while QOL and depressive symptoms also improved.
• Adverse events occurred in 11.6% of patients, most (98.9%) were mild; treatment discontinuation rate was 1.5%.

IN PRACTICE

"Topical ruxolitinib was associated with progressive and sustained repigmentation through 52 weeks, with excellent tolerability," the authors wrote. "Improvement in anxiety, depression, and disease-specific QOL accompanied repigmentation and, while they cannot be attributed to treatment in an uncontrolled cohort, support the routine assessment of mental health in vitiligo care and warrant consideration of psychological endpoints in future trials."

SOURCE

The study was led by Angelo V Marzano, MD, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy and was published online on August 17 in British Journal of Dermatology.

LIMITATIONS

The retrospective design limited causal inference and patient-reported outcome data were not available for all patients. Information on concurrent mental health treatment was not systematically collected. Adherence and medication quantity were not systematically recorded. 

DISCLOSURES

This research received no specific funding. Marzano and several other authors reported receiving consulting fees, honoraria, research grants, and advisory fees from multiple pharmaceutical companies including AbbVie, Incyte, Pfizer, Novartis, and Sanofi. Additional author disclosures are reported in the original article.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.