TOPLINE

Healthcare providers (HCPs) across the US and Europe assessed nonsegmental vitiligo (NSV) severity using multiple factors; patient quality of life (QOL) was the most important consideration.

METHODOLOGY

• Researchers conducted semi-structured, roughly 60-minute interviews with 65 HCPs, including 61 dermatologists and four nurse practitioners, across the US, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy between January and March 2025. 
• Eligible participants were board-certified dermatology specialists in practice for at least 5 years who provided consultation for more than five patients with NSV in the past 3 months and spent more than 60% of their time in direct patient care. 
• Interviews covered topics including diagnosing NSV, severity assessment, treatment decision-making, and patient outcomes. 
• Participants averaged 14 years in practice, with a mean age of 44 years, and consulted an average of 37 patients with NSV in the past 3 months. 

TAKEAWAY

• Patient QOL (cited by 89% of HCPs), disease extent (89%), and progression (80%) were the most frequently considered factors in determining disease severity. 
• Repigmentation was the most frequently cited treatment goal across the US (80%) and Europe (96%), followed by stabilization (US: 60% and Europe: 78%), and improved patient QOL (US: 20% and Europe: 66%). Repigmentation was also the most frequently cited treatment success indicator (US: 83%; Europe: 73%). 
• Lack of response or repigmentation was the most frequently reported reason for treatment failure (US: 50% and Europe: 49%), followed by disease progression during treatment (US: 60% and Europe: 31%). 
• HCPs reported access, cost, adherence, safety, and limited durability as important barriers to current treatments. 

IN PRACTICE

“Findings from this study highlight the need for a more consistent, patient-centered approach to the management of NSV in clinical practice,” the authors wrote.

They added, “clinicians should prioritize shared decision-making by aligning treatment goals with patient expectations, including both repigmentation and QOL improvement, and clearly communicating realistic timelines.” Treatment selection “should also consider real-world barriers such as access to phototherapy, cost and insurance restrictions for newer therapies, and administrative burden, which may affect adherence and outcomes.”

SOURCE

This study was led by Samantha Kurosky, MSPH, Pfizer, New York City, and was published online on August 1 in the British Journal of Dermatology.

LIMITATIONS

Limitations included qualitative design and possible selection bias. The study focused only on NSV and included six countries, meaning findings may not be applicable to other countries or forms of vitiligo.

DISCLOSURES

This research was sponsored by Pfizer. Kurosky and many other authors disclosed being employees of and/or possibly holding stock in Pfizer and Oracle Life Sciences, which was contracted to execute the research and publications and received payments from Pfizer. Several authors reported receiving grants, consulting fees, and honoraria from multiple pharmaceutical companies including AbbVie, Incyte, and Pfizer. Additional disclosures are listed 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.