For patients with vitiligo, ruxolitinib cream results in greater regimentation of lesions compared with vehicle control, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. David Rosmarin, MD, and colleagues conducted two phase 3 trials involving patients aged 12 or older with non-segmental vitiligo with depigmentation covering 10% or less of total body surface area. Patients were randomly assigned to apply 1.5% ruxolitinib cream or vehicle control twice daily for 24 weeks in a 2:1 ratio, after which all patients could apply ruxolitinib cream through week 52. Among 674 patients, there were 330 in the Topical Ruxolitinib Evaluation in Vitiligo Study 1 (TruE-V1) and 344 in TRuE-V2. The percentage of patients with a decrease of at least 75% from baseline in the facial Vitiligo Area Scoring Index response at week 24 was 29.8% in the ruxolitinib group, compared with 7.4% in the vehicle group (relative risk [RR], 4.0) in TRuE-V1. The corresponding percentages were 30.9% and 11.4%, respectively, in TRuE-V2 (RR, 2.7). The superiority of ruxolitinib over vehicle control was demonstrated in key secondary endpoints.
Robust Link Between Vitiligo & Crohn’s Disease
A strong bidirectional link between vitiligo and Crohn’s disease (CD) was observed in a study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. Khalaf Kridin, MD, PhD, and colleagues conducted a population-based study comparing patients with vitiligo (N=20,851) with age-, sex-, and ethnicity-matched control subjects (N=102,475) to assess the rate of new-onset, and prevalence of pre-existing, CD. Multivariable Cox regression and
logistic regressions were used to calculate adjusted HRs and ORs, respectively. In patients with vitiligo, the incidence of new-onset CD was evaluated at 3.6 cases per 10,000 person-years (PY), and in controls, 2.4 cases per 10,000 PY. An elevated risk for CD was observed in patients with vitiligo (fully adjusted HR, 1.60). Similarly, a history of
pre-existing CD predicted increased odds of subsequent vitiligo (fully adjusted OR, 1.49). Patients with vitiligo and comorbid CD were older and had higher prevalence rates of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes mellitus, but comparable all-cause mortality rate, compared with other patients with vitiligo.
