Does Xeljanz cause hair loss?

Q: Does Xeljanz cause hair loss?

Hair loss is not a side effect of Xeljanz. In fact, Xeljanz is sometimes used off-label to treat hair loss in patients with alopecia areata. Treatment with Xeljanz leads to hair regrowth in some patients with alopecia areata, although hair shedding occurs once treatment is stopped.

Medically reviewed by Philip Thornton, DipPharm. Last updated on Dec 9, 2024.

Official Answer by Drugs.com

Hair loss is not a side effect of Xeljanz (tofacitinib citrate), according to the results of clinical trials used to gain approval of the drug. During clinical development, hair loss was not reported as an adverse effect.

Xeljanz is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor and disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD), which works by suppressing the immune system. It has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), ankylosing spondylitis and ulcerative colitis.

Xeljanz is used to treat hair loss in patients with alopecia areata

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss. A number of small clinical studies have investigated Xeljanz in patients with alopecia areata. Xeljanz has also been used off-label, meaning that it is not approved by the US FDA, to treat this condition.

Looking at the results from 20 patients with severe alopecia areata who took Xeljanz, researchers found that most patients experienced hair regrowth. The amount of regrowth observed ranged widely from 1 to 100 percent, but 25 percent of patients did achieve >90 percent improvement in their SALT - Severity of Alopecia Tool - score. The average time to regrowth was 3.85 months.

Four to five weeks after treatment with Xeljanz was stopped, hair shedding occurred. This was slightly shorter that the 10-12 weeks reported during other studies.

References

Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Xeljanz / Xeljanz XR / Xeljanz Oral Solution. Available from: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2021/203214s028,208246s013,213082s003lbl.pdf. [Accessed December 17, 2021].
Hogan S, Wang S, Ibrahim O, Piliang M, Bergfeld W. LONG-TERM TREATMENT WITH TOFACITINIB IN SEVERE ALOPECIA AREATA: AN UPDATE. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2019;12(6):12-14.

What are JAK inhibitors and how do they work?

Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors are a group of medicines that help block immune system signals in the body that can lead to swelling (inflammation) and pain in conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and psoriatic arthritis. They work by blocking enzymes that lead to overactivity of the immune system. Continue reading

Which JAK inhibitors are approved in the U.S?

List of JAK inhibitors approved in the United States include:

Cibinqo (abrocitinib)
Inrebic (fedratinib)
Jakafi (ruxolitinib)
Litfulo (ritlecitinib)
Ojjaara (momelotinib)
Olumiant (baricitinib)
Opzelura (ruxolitinib)
Rinvoq (upadacitinib)
Vonjo (pacritinib)
Xeljanz (tofacitinib)

What happens when you stop taking Xeljanz?

Stopping treatment with Xeljanz may cause the symptoms of your condition to return. However, some patients are able to stop Xeljanz without their symptoms flaring up, according to the results of research conducted in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. You should not stop taking Xeljanz without consulting your doctor. Continue reading

Does Xeljanz cause hair loss?

Xeljanz is used to treat hair loss in patients with alopecia areata

Read next

What are JAK inhibitors and how do they work?

Which JAK inhibitors are approved in the U.S?

What happens when you stop taking Xeljanz?

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